Dessert Caused The Apocalypse
by AFatFlyingWhale
Summary: My tale of how I, along with a few others, caused the end of the world. It started with a bowl of ice cream. I will never regret that dessert. A/N: This is gonna be a little different from what I usually write. Will have romantic pairings. There will be chapter based warnings, if needed. All RWBY Content is Property of Roosterteeth, I do no claim any ownership.
1. Conspiracy Theories

It started with a bowl of ice cream.

Sure, that sounds like something innocent, something that one wouldn't expect to lead to the end of the world, but hey, the littlest things could sometimes be the most dangerous.

Speaking of dangerous little things and ice cream, that was how I'd ended up in this situation.

She was short, cute, and _very_ lethal. I'd only known the first two when I had walked up to her, on that fateful day.

This is that story. The story of how the world would end. Or would it?

I don't know yet. I guess we'll find out.

* * *

I woke up, like most people tend to, and quickly threw back my covers, slowly and drowsily stumbling out of the soft, welcoming bed that I just wanted to get right back into.

I couldn't, as much as I wanted too, because I had things to do. Namely, breakfast.

Slices of bread slipped into the toaster, the weak fire Dust crystals slowly cooking it. I turned to the fridge and quickly grabbed out a bottle of milk, pouring myself a cup.

The toaster popped, and I grabbed the toast out, plopping the two slices onto my plate. A quick twenty seconds later, and I'd fixed myself a simple breakfast.

This was going to be my last breakfast in this tiny little apartment, and I was honestly fine with that.

It had been awhile since anyone else had been inside this place, anyway. It wasn't as if I'd miss it.

It was cramped, had only a single window, and was almost always dark.

I didn't mind the darkness, but more than one window would have been preferable, and there is only so long you can stay in a three room apartment before it drives you insane.

I swallowed the last bite of toast, and downed the rest of the milk, before quickly dumping the leftover dishes into the sink.

I could do them now, or…

I walked away from the kitchen, into the even more cramped bathroom. I was greeted by the familiar sight of the tiny sink, the toilet, and the miniscule shower that I had been stuck with for the past year and a half.

I could've been worse, I'd always reasoned. You could not have a shower at all! Just live with the cold water, and always remember it could be worse!

That was a year ago.

Now, I hated that thing with a passion. The landlord didn't care, and I couldn't exactly afford legal representation, for multiple reasons.

Water on, clothes off, quick rinse, lather, rinse again, water off, rapid towelling, new clothes on.

Easy.

The front door clicked behind me as I locked it, and I walked down the hallway, sticking to the other wall, away from my next door neighbour.

It didn't work, and he grabbed me by the arm. I let out an inaudible sigh.

"You can't be leaving now! They're watching! They're out there, in their black vans, with their monitoring equipment. If you go now, they'll take you to their research labs, and take you apart piece by piece!" He ranted, pacing back and forth in front of his door, his skeletal hand still holding tight to my arm.

"Almond, I don't have time for this today. I'll take my chances." I replied, and he frowned at me.

"You'll be stolen!" He cried out, frown straining to escape his face.

"Almond, I'll be fine. Please, let me go." I said, glancing at where his surprisingly firm grip held onto my arm.

"Right, right. Be careful, and stay away from the suits!" Almond said, releasing his grasp.

I nodded back, used to this kind of insanity, walking down the hallway.

"And watch out for the man that follows the dessert!" Almond shouted down the hallway, as I made my way to the stairs.

' _Sometimes, that man is more than just insane.'_ I thought to myself, taking the steps two at a time.

I wasn't going to be late, but I wasn't going to be early, either, and that didn't make for a good impression.

"Hey!" I called out, putting a hand out.

I was honestly lucky to have caught the one day the bus driver was actually paying attention, as he noticed me, quickly opening the door.

"Thanks. Two fifty lien, right?" I said, quickly forking over the money for a ticket.

The driver didn't respond verbally, just giving me a nod and taking the money. Standard public transport stuff, really.

I took a seat in the middle, near the door, and pulled out my scroll, checking the time.

Quarter to eight, good. I still had a few minutes before I was late.

The bus trip passed without incident, and I quickly pressed the button to stop, standing up in my seat.

The bus pulled over, and I hopped out, throwing my coat over my shoulder.

A minute of walking down the pavement, and I reached the establishment where I would be working from today onwards, hopefully.

I walked up to the door, and reached it at the same time as the person who interviewed me did.

"Ah, hello. You were that applicant I interviewed, aren't you." The man greeted.

"Yep, that was me. Thanks for accepting me, Mr Grey." I replied, shaking his proffered hand.

"What was your name again?" Mr Grey asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Ah, right. My name's Caramel. I know, odd name for a guy, I get that a lot." I replied, chuckling.

"If I recall, you said as much in the interview." Mr Grey said, before entering his code on the door. It ker-chunked, unlocking, and he walked in, gesturing for me to follow him.

I did so with haste, closing the door behind me.

"Well, Caramel, I'll be showing you the ropes today. I'm glad you got here a little early, actually. A few of the others will be turning up any moment now, and I'll introduce you when they get here. Should be us two, and two others." Mr Grey said, as he walked through the foyer of the building.

"First things first. Welcome to the SDC's Vale Branch! Company policy mandates me to inform you that we only employ the best, the brightest, and yadda-yadda. If HR asks, pretend I said the rest of the speech, huh?" He said, with a trace of humour.

I laughed. "Got it, boss."

"You're the junior security guard, so you're gonna be on probation for the first month. No three strikes thing, you screw up, you're outta here, got it?" He said, humour dying.

I made a show of stiffening up, nodding. "Got it."

"Good. Lunch is at twelve, we get twenty minutes each in shifts. You get the last shift, 'cause you're new." He said, before leading me around the place, showing me everything, including the things I'd need to keep priority on monitoring.

"That's it, not the biggest place. Ah, there you two are." Mr Grey said, noticing the two new arrivals.

"Morning, boss. This the new kid?" The first one, a gruff man, said, looking me up and down. "Doesn't look much older than my daughter, does he?"

"Looks like a little fucker who doesn't know which end of a gun to point at the bad guy, that's what he looks like." The other one said, surly voice making me quirk an eyebrow at him.

That, as it turned out, was a bad idea.

"What's that, kid? You think you're better than me!?" He said, getting up close.

"Easy, Anthra'." Grey warned, stepping close to the two of us.

"Pfft." He said, stepping back, walking off to the end of the foyer.

"Sorry about that, Caramel. This is Carbon Darcy, and that was his brother, Anthracite." Grey said, nodding to the first man, Carbon.

"I'm sorry about Anthra', kid. He's a little high-strung, that's all. I'm not wrong though, am I?" Carbon apologized, asking.

"Yeah, I'm young. I can still handle myself, though." I replied.

"If you're anything like my daughter, than I'm not surprised." Carbon said with a chuckle. He turned to Grey. "I'll take my spot. Second lunch shift, like usual?"

"I'll take third." Grey said, nodding to Carbon.

"Alright, Caramel. You're on patrols. Workers get here in a few, so get ready." Grey said, before walking into his office.

I nodded, and once he was out of earshot, I sighed.

It was going to be a long day.

* * *

"Hey, Caramel. Your shift." Grey's voice penetrated the fugue that plagued my mind.

It had only been a few hours, but I could easily say I knew the entire building off by heart, at this point.

"Thanks, boss." I said, shaking myself out of my reverie.

"Hey, Caramel, you got a sweet tooth?" Grey asked.

"I kind of have to, given the name." I said, chuckling.

"Well, there's a great ice creamery across the street. I'd suggest you hit it up, take your twenty to relax". Grey suggested.

"Honestly, that sounds perfect. Thanks for the heads up." I replied, walking through the foyer. Grey split off, headed back to his office.

I walked out through the foyer door and crossed the street, intent on finding something delicious on the menu.

I hadn't been joking about having a sweet tooth.

The door chimed as I stepped through, and the interior of the ice creamery was pleasant.

It was a quaint little place, with wide open windows and a few patrons lingering around. Most were making the best of their lunch break and engaging in various ice cream related delicacies, but a few looked as if they were enjoying a good day off.

It was my first day on the job and I was already envious of those on holiday. Things were looking up was not a phrase I could apply to my situation.

I took a menu from one of the tables, taking a seat.

At least this place was going to get some significant business from me, considering what I'd be doing all day every day for the foreseeable future.

This place was pretty damn impressive, too, even more so when a polite cough caught my attention. The waitress that stood there waited patiently for me to place an order.

"Oh, um, hey. Can I have a… strawberry milkshake and some vanilla waffles?" I ordered, and the waitress gave a nod.

"Sure thing, coming right up!" She said cheerfully, walking towards the kitchen.

This left me with a moment of peace, and I chose to people watch, looking around.

There were a few businessmen sparsely populating the various cubicles, all talking on phones quietly and working away.

There was a young couple, feeding each other spoonfuls of waffles.

The one person that caught my eye was the short girl near the front of the store, looking out the window.

She sat, staring out through the glass, before her attention was drawn away by the waitress placing down a bowl in front of her.

From what I could tell, it was strawberry, chocolate and vanilla ice cream. The girl gave a nod to the waitress, and quickly dug in, spoon scooping heaps of the combo ice cream into her mouth.

From where I was, I could tell she was savouring each spoonful, but her gaze never left the window.

My attention was taken away as a cluster of suited businessmen walked in, all talking on their phones. They sat near the front door.

I was about to think nothing of it when the strangest thing happened.

Every single businessman in the ice creamery stood up at the same time.

That was the odd part, but I soon found out why, as they reached into their suits, drawing out various handguns.

That made me raise my proverbial hackles. But the guns weren't pointed at me.

Finally, the small girl's attention was drawn away from the window, as she stared around the room.

One of the men stepped to the side and the couple quickly ran outside, pointedly not looking at any of the men.

The girl stood up, and that was the moment I decided to do the same.

There were six men in total, three at the back, covering the rear exit, and three at the front, covering the front door.

The girl went to reach for her umbrella, when she collapsed, a dart in the back of her neck.

The shooter of the dart, a previously hidden businessman, stepped out of the kitchen.

All six guns turned to me, and the seventh man approached me.

"Forget what you saw, and you live. Simple, kid." The man said, his red glasses glinting in the most cliched, quote-unquote evil way I'd ever witnessed.

I was ten minutes into my break.

I had time.

* * *

 **Hey all, AFatFlyingWhale here!**

 **For those of you who have read GoaNL, welcome back!** **For those who haven't, check it out, it'll reveal kind of how I write, so you can see if you'll like this!**

 **I'm trying something new, no this isn't replacing GoaNL, I'm pushing that back to a fortnightly update schedule, cause I'm busy, enjoy this in the meantime, have a nice day/night, and yeah.**

 **Hope you enjoyed, and, as always, see you next chapter  
~AFatFlyingWhale**


	2. Management, Am I Right?

**Hey all. Chapter 2 here, and a note about my update schedule. I no longer have one.**

 **I'm under the effects of some serious writing burnout, with four different writing projects all ongoing. I'll be updating chapters whenever I finish them, which means it could be a chapter a day, or no chapter for a week or two. I am writing, so I haven't abandoned anything, don't worry.**

* * *

Okay, so I might have overestimated my skill level when I'm only allowed to use the weapon Grey had given me.

The stun baton hovered in front of me, my hand grasping the handle, thumb occasionally pushing the button to discharge the electricity from the Dust crystal embedded in the painful end.

The men had quickly shifted their weapons into melee forms, and had surrounded me.

That wasn't a problem, really. What was a problem was the unconscious girl that I had slung over my shoulder. That would make fighting significantly more difficult.

Even so, they weren't skilled fighters. They were obviously not expecting a person to be here, and were relying on the element of surprise to overwhelm the girl's Aura.

One of the men engaged first, lunging forward, blade pointed at my chest. I side-stepped, and my stun baton met his arm, discharging a painful amount of electricity into his arm.

Something interesting that I had never witnessed happened.

Electricity, in non-lethal amounts, can apparently overwhelm Aura temporarily. In the case of a situation like this, where I followed up my first blow with a knee to the chest, it was very useful, as the man crumpled like a sack of wet potatoes.

One down, six left, and everything was working rather smoothly so far. All they needed to do was keep coming at me from the front, one at a time, and I'd have no problems.

If only I could be that lucky.

Three of the six remaining men surrounded me, and as a trio, lunged, attempting to pierce me from three different sides like triplets fighting over the last slice of cake.

A quick leap _at_ the one in front of me had them off guard, and I quickly raised my other hand, grasping his dagger by the blade, the metal grinding against the metal plating in the palm of my glove.

This glove was the only weapon of mine I was actually allowed to keep on my at the SDC Vale Branch. Grey had made the assumption that it was non-lethal, and allowed it.

I pulled, and the man in front stumbled forwards, and before a moment had even passed I had effectively swapped places with him, his allies blades striking him instead of me.

Now with only one person still blocking my access to the rear door, I took the initiative, adjusting the position of the girl on my shoulder.

I lunged forward before feinting left, throwing a sharp right hook, supported by the stun baton, before my fist collided with his chest. His Aura flared, and I slammed my left fist down on his head, the metal plating hardening over my fingers as I struck.

He hit the ground, hard, and I left him there, leaping over his collapsed form, and pushing through the door.

The door squeaked on its hinges as I shoved it open, and I ran, with the girl still over my shoulders.

I was faster than the men, and considering how I'd left them, I doubt they were too willing to pursue me, especially in broad daylight.

I needed to get some space from them regardless, and I kept running, not paying any attention to my surroundings as I sprinted through alleyways, the girl over my shoulders still unconscious, despite the jostling of my movement.

I don't even know how far I'd gotten when I decided to stop, but I could tell I'd lost them, if they even followed to begin with.

Quickly and carefully, I lay the girl down, and checked her pulse. It was steady, beating evenly, so that was good news.

I took my hand away from her neck, and looked at her for any signs of injury.

Thankfully, there was no injury, but there would soon be on mine as her eyes burst open and her hand grabbed me around the throat, the other scrambling about for a weapon.

"Urrk! Friendly!" I grunted out, making sure to keep still and not make any sudden moves.

She released her grip on my throat, and I stepped back, keeping my hands in her view.

She quickly clambered to her feet, checking around for something. She glanced back up to me, and mimed an umbrella.

"I was a bit busy saving you, sorry." I replied, completely unapologetic.

A frown graced her admittedly pretty face, and she shattered.

I'm not kidding. She quite literally exploded into thousands of glass shards, sprinkling across the pavement with a loud series of tinkling noises.

I looked around, and saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"Huh." I said aloud, pulling out my scroll.

' _Shit.'_

* * *

"Shit, Grey, I'm sorry I'm late! I got attacked whilst getting lunch!" I exclaimed, stumbling into his office, out of breath.

Grey just sighed. "Caramel, I know. Unfortunately, you're fired-"

I didn't let him finish. "What! I didn't have a choice!"

He held up a hand, and I quickly silenced myself.

"I know, kid. I would've commended you, and told you to take a paid day off, but upper management somehow already know, and word from above is that you are no longer employed. I'm sorry." Grey explained, and I frowned.

"How did they know?" I asked, concerned.

"No idea, Caramel. At least you didn't get settled in, if that's any consolation." Grey said, and I could hear the frustration in his voice.

I sighed, placing the stun baton on his desk. "Not your fault, Grey. For what it matters, you were a pretty damn good boss, even if it was for not even a day."

He laughed at that. "Good to see you aren't taking it to hard, Caramel. I'd say stop by tomorrow for lunch and I'd pay, but I'm not on shift for the rest of the week. It's Anthra', and two more assholes. You were supposed to be on tomorrow with them, so I'm not sure if this isn't a blessing in disguise."

"Thanks for the job, Grey. Maybe I'll see you around." I said, giving a wave as I left his office.

"Sorry, kid. Good luck with the future!" He called out, as I closed the door behind me.

As I walked out, Carbon gave me a solemn nod, and I returned it, before noticing Anthracite by the far corner, smirking.

I ignored him, walking out of the building.

I had some other things to take care of anyway, and my schedule had miraculously cleared itself up.

I sighed again.

* * *

I wasn't stupid. I'd lived in Vale for a year and a half by now, and I lived in one of the shadier parts of town.

Benefit to that; rent was cheap.

Detriment to that; gangs.

Nothing I couldn't handle, evidently, but I could recognize them by smell at this point. Some of them in particular.

Junior's Red Axes were rather distinct, even if the men I'd fought weren't actually using axes. What made them so easy to recognize was the red sunglasses they used to conceal their identities.

It would've been smarter to wear a rival gang's colours, but no doubt that plan, if it had even been suggested, would've been shot down, for two reasons.

Reason number one is that they weren't expecting any resistance, and that was pretty obvious considering how fast they'd taken the girl down.

Reason number two is much more easily summarised: Heresy.

That rather long-winded line of thinking is what brought me to one of the seediest places in the entirety of Vale.

Junior's.

The club, not Junior himself. I hadn't gotten that far yet. I hadn't even gotten inside the club.

"You ain't old enough, kid." The bouncer said, one hand on a rather distinct red hatchet, the other on my shoulder.

"I'm older than I look." I replied, already annoyed.

"Sure you are kid." The bouncer replied, shoving me backwards.

"Look, man. I have had one hell of a day. I got fired because I helped a woman, and it was my first day. Gimme a break, I just want a drink." I said, pretend exhaustion flooding my voice.

"Then get something to drink where there aren't cops prowling around." The bouncer said, once more reaching out to shove me.

I caught his arm as it was outstretched, and pulled, quickly putting my strength to work as I flipped him over, wrenching his arm out of its socket.

Aura can't stop physics.

I released my grip on his arm, and it flopped uselessly next to the bouncer.

I didn't even wait to see what he would do, as I strode through the door, and up to the bar.

"Something strong." I said to the bartender, who frowned at me.

"Get out, kid. I'm trying to run a business here, not get arrested." The bartender said, placing the glass he was in the process of drying in front of him, folding his arms.

"Junior, just get me something to damn drink." I said, glaring at him.

"So, you know who I am." Junior said, grabbing a bottle of whisky from beneath the bar, filling up the cup and sliding it over.

"Junior, you named the club after yourself, then told me you were trying to run a business. One plus one equals two, and all that." I said, before downing the entire cup in one massive gulp. "But yes, I do know who you are." I gasped out, the whisky stronger than expected.

"Well, I don't know who you are, kid." Junior said, raising an eyebrow from behind the bar.

"Let me give you a hint. Some of your boys tried to kill me and a girl in an ice creamery earlier today." I deadpanned, swirling the dregs of whisky in the bottom of my glass.

"What my boys do in their spare time is none of my business." Junior rehearsed.

"Except it wasn't spare time, was it. Who ordered the hit, and who was the target?" I asked, placing the glass in front of me.

Junior didn't answer, his attention drawn away towards the entrance. I swivelled on my bar stool, and looked at the approaching person, who was twirling a cane with a menacing expression on his face, cigar smoking beneath his bowler hat.

"Gimme a minute, kid. We can get back to this really interesting conversation when I'm done with actual business." Junior said, as the man sat down at the bar a couple stools down from me.

I frowned, expressing my frustration by reaching over the bar and grabbing the unattended whisky bottle, pouring myself another couple fingers.

I also figured I'd listen in.

"Roman, what do you want. We've already agreed to send you a group for tomorrow." Junior said.

"I'm here 'cause a couple of your mooks decided to test their might against Neo." Roman replied, tapping the cigar against his finger, ash spilling across the bartop.

"Huh. Wouldn't happen to have been in an ice creamery, would it?" Junior asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"So you did send some-" Roman began, before Junior interrupted.

"Kid, I know you're listening. Get over here." He called out, looking pointedly at me.

"Oh no, you caught me eavesdropping, how dreadfully sorry I am." I said sarcastically, before once again downing the glass of whisky. I stood up and took a barstool next to Roman.

Roman gave a quick chuckle at my sarcasm, but the expression on his face remained mostly neutral.

"Kid, the sooner the two of you figure this out, the sooner you get out of my hair. Explain what happened." Junior said, and I obliged, explaining what happened.

"So someone high up in the SDC fired you because you stopped a bunch of gangsters?" Roman asked, laughing.

"I doubt it. Someone fired me 'cause I was late, and some shitbag I was working with ratted me out." I said, before moving onto more prominent topics.

"So, the girl's name is Neo?" I asked.

"Yep, but she doesn't speak. I gave her the name, for a variety of reasons." Roman replied, lighting a second cigar and promptly sticking it into his mouth.

"Who wants her dead, and doesn't want to be found out?" I asked, but was met with a frown.

"None of your business, kid. I appreciate the help, but you're not involved anymore. Professional courtesy dictates that I warn you before kicking your ass six ways to tuesday." Roman said, taking the cigar out of his mouth to down his third glass of whisky.

"I'd love to see you try, walking stick." I replied with equal heat.

This had Roman laughing, and I a little nonplussed.

"You know what, kid? I like you, you got fire, and I do feel the tiniest bit guilty about you getting fired. Want a job?" Roman asked, smirking.

I raised an eyebrow at him, before responding. "Sure thing, boss."

* * *

 **Look at that. We have plot movement.**

 **Chapter 3 will be out tomorrow.**

 **Hope you enjoyed, and as always, see you next chapter  
~AFatFlyingWhale**


	3. Bar Fight

Accepting a job offer from a rather prominent figure in the criminal underworld is usually a massive undertaking, and is not a decision to be made lightly.

Or to be made whilst tipsy.

Unfortunately, five glasses of whisky had made my inhibitions a little looser than I'd have preferred, but at least I'd gotten some work.

"Not even going to think about it, huh? I assume you know who I am?" Roman asked, surprised.

"Yeah. I decided I didn't care. I tried to play it straight, and I got fired for helping stop an assassination. Fuck the rules." I responded, stopping myself from pouring myself a sixth glass.

Tipsy was still combat capable. Drunk was not.

"Huh. Well, now that we know what happened, I think it's time we move onto the why. Junior?" Roman said, turning to the bartender-slash-owner-slash-information broker.

Junior was, once again, distracted. This time, both Roman and I turned to observe the newcomer.

It wasn't someone I recognized, and it was obvious that neither Roman or Junior recognized them either.

Tall, muscled and young, with extraordinarily long blonde hair reaching past her waist, she sauntered up to the bar, not even paying Roman or I a glance.

"Considering I'm your new employee, do I get to give advice?" I asked Roman, leaning in so as not to be overheard.

"Consider this your probationary period, kid. Bad advice, and I won't be as forgiving as the SDC." Roman replied, the ghost of a smirk on his face.

"She's trouble." I replied.

It was true, too, because she soon had Junior by the balls.

That isn't some kind of metaphor, either. She literally had Junior by his testicles, and was threatening to burst some balloons.

"Want me to intervene, or are we going to enjoy the show." I asked, raising an eyebrow at the rather piss-poor performance Junior was giving.

"Let him stew. It'll be easier to find out our info if he's already beaten half-to-death." Roman replied, puffing on his cigar.

"Fair enough." I responded, leaning with my back against the bar.

Junior, and his gang, didn't fare very well against the girl.

Her bracelets turned out to be huntsman's weapons, a pair of shotgun gauntlets. That was pretty cool, but the novelty soon wore off as the brawler faced up against a bunch of thugs that proved to be literally no threat whatsoever.

Junior had been laid out after he had attempted to kiss the brawler, right before the beginning of the fight. I honestly couldn't figure out how he ran one of the more dangerous gangs in Vale.

The blonde girl had just tossed the DJ off of his podium, when two girls walked onto the now empty dancefloor.

"Melanie, who is this girl?" The one clad in a red dress asked, the wrist mounted claws glinting red in the light.

"I don't know Miltia, but we should teach her a lesson." The other one, Melanie, said, the light on her white dress and bladed heels making them almost superluminal.

"This ought to be good. Junior's enforcers." Roman explained, and I nodded.

The blonde girl decided to meet their challenge head on, popping all the spent shells on her gauntlets off their spot, and quickly, and rather stylishly, reloading two new belts.

She leapt off the podium at Melanie and Miltia, firing flaming slugs at the two, who rolled and flipped out of the way of the explosive impacts.

I picked up my empty glass and began tossing it end over end in my hand, keeping myself busy.

The blonde took a hit, but continued to fight, managing to take down Miltia. Melanie kept her busy for some time, but she too was soon knocked down.

"If one of you takes her down, I'll give you what I can!" Junior shouted out.

"Looks like you're up, kid." Roman said, chuckling.

I gave a quick nod, and stood up from the barstool that had been my temporary home for the past while. I gave the glass in my hand one more toss, before I caught it again.

The blonde turned to face me, and I quickly threw the glass at her before she could fully size me up.

It wasn't meant as an attack, but as a distraction, which it achieved beautifully, as the blonde ducked to the side, briefly losing sight of me.

I used this opportunity to rapidly gain ground, nearing her, as the glass joined the rest of the broken glass that littered the dancefloor.

I quickly drew my weapon, aiming my pistol as she spotted me.

Two quick squeezes of the trigger, and two bullets exited the barrel, the gases dampened significantly by the integrated suppressor.

The first missed, but I'd expected her sidestep, figuring that she favoured her right side from the way she'd dodged the glass, and she stepped straight into the path of the second round.

It thwacked into her chest, and she stumbled back, a direct hit from a high caliber Dust round doing what I could only assume was a significant amount of damage to her Aura.

She stepped back up into place, her eyes glowing a pale lilac.

It also almost looked as if her hair was on fire, which was certainly interesting.

I recollected my thoughts away from her flamy hair, which was not a sentence I'd ever expect to have come up in any kind of inner monologue, and hit the release mechanism on my pistol, the gun twisting and molding with mechanical ingenuity into a long bladed dagger. I twisted my grip on the handle, swapping it into a reverse grip, and waited to see what the blonde would do.

I didn't get a chance to see how she'd react as Junior jumped up onto the dancefloor, a rocket launcher in his hands.

He said some things to the blonde, I wasn't really paying attention, and fired the launcher, a series of small missiles ejecting out of the barrel, spiralling out towards the blonde, who flipped backwards and began defending against the barrage.

The first few she'd dodged, but the second cluster she shot out of the air with her own veritable barrage of gunfire, causing the entire dancefloor to be encompassed by a cloud of dust, smoke and ash.

Junior took advantage of the newly created cover to shift his launcher into what could only be called a baseball bat, swinging downwards in an overhead strike.

The blonde blocked it, absorbing the impact into her gauntlets, but Junior followed it up with a left and a right, the second being blocked again, and the right sending the brawler stumbling backwards.

Junior pushed his advantage, an underarm swing launching the blonde into the air, sailing across the dancefloor and through one of the only remaining glass sculptures.

The blonde stood up, hair still aflame, and smashed her fists together, darting in towards Junior, who responded by firing a couple missiles at her.

She sidestepped them with ease, and Junior shifted his weapon back into its bat form, swinging at the brawler.

She ducked under the first and sidestepped the second, before throwing a wide shotgun-boosted strike at the side of Junior's undefended face.

Six more strikes followed that, and the seventh came with fiery abandon, her eyes glowing bright red and her hair trailing hot fire, her fist hitting Junior's weapon with enough force to splinter it into pieces.

Junior managed to stumble back to his feet, hands grasping onto two different things.

The first was his wrecked weapon, just a handle left.

The second was a clump of golden hair.

The sheer force that the blonde brawler radiated was enough to knock Roman back against the bar, and send me stumbling back, as she rocketed forwards fast enough to almost disappear from my view, her wild haymaker colliding with Junior's face.

Junior sailed through the air and smashed through the front window of the club, and I just sighed.

With a leap, the blonde left the same way Junior had, leaping through the window to the street outside, forgetting about Roman and I.

"Well, for a first impression, I have to say you aren't bad." Roman said, applauding from his seat.

I gave a mock bow, before motioning for him to throw me the remaining whisky, three fingers sitting in the bottom of the bottle.

Roman did so, after pouring half into his own glass, and we quickly drank it down.

"So, do we wait for him to come back inside?" I asked, and Roman nodded, lighting a third cigar.

I grabbed a knocked over barstool and stood it up on its end, quickly sitting down, stowing my pistol in its holster on the back of my belt, beneath my overcoat.

A couple minutes of amicable silence passed, with me quickly helping the twins up from the floor, fixing them something strong, before Junior walked in the door.

Walked is more of an exaggeration, however. Limped would be more accurate.

"You were supposed to stop her, kid!" Junior half-exclaimed half-moaned, plonking himself down onto a barstool, groaning from the impact.

"Well, I would've, if you hadn't interrupted." I replied, frowning.

Roman decided this was the time to intervene, stepping forward. "Junior, I have had a day, and now is not the time to be screwing me. Tell me who hired your men."

Junior looked up at Roman and, for a split second, considered not answering. The look in Roman's eyes, which was usually filled with dry humour, was empty, void of emotion.

"Look, I don't know who hired them. I was contacted by a messenger party, and the job was all handled by a third party handler. I couldn't tell you if I tried, and neither could the boys who did the job. You know how this stuff works, Torchwick." Junior explained, reaching over the bar for a random bottle of alcohol.

Roman frowned, pulling another cigar out of his pocket, before tucking it back in. He picked up his cane from where it leant against the bar, and began walking out of the club.

I quickly stood up and followed, walking just to the side of my new boss.

"So, I assume I'll be getting paid for working for you, right?" I asked, as we rounded the street corner, the light of the moon providing illumination to the dim downtown.

"If you can prove yourself, then I'll take you on jobs. You get a share from the job. Easy, kid." Roman answered, twirling his cane.

"Sounds fair to me." I replied, as the two of us walked in silence for a moment.

Something occurred to me. "So, where are we going?"

Roman smirked as he walked. "We're going back to my little base of operations. We have some planning to do."

"I'm gonna be honest, that sounds a little ominous." I muttered, and Roman laughed.

* * *

The walk passed without incident, the two of us passing through the downtown area of Vale and into the industrial district, making our way through empty streets to a warehouse.

Roman pushed the door open, gesturing for me to enter, and I did so, walking through the opening into a dimly lit expanse, packed with various crates of Dust, rounds, and Lien, all tightly packed into steel containers.

My eyes focused on the only lit area of the warehouse interior, a jumble of beds, tables and lamps sitting in a corner.

Roman stepped in behind me, shutting the door. I heard the lock click, and the hair on the back of my neck stood to attention.

I quickly drew my weapon in its dagger form, redirecting the blade of an estoc as it stabbed from my left.

The figure slashed again, and I stepped into the path of the strike, grabbing the blade with my gloved hand.

I held it firm in my palm, and stepped backwards, dragging the assailant into light where I could see who it was.

It was the girl I had saved, Neo. Her eyes were glaring daggers at me, and I had no doubt that if looks could kill I would've died before I'd known she was here.

In retrospect, I should've known she would be here.

"Enough, Neo. I think he's proved himself enough tonight." Roman said, placing a hand on my shoulder.

I quickly released her estoc, and she slid the blade back into its place inside her parasol. She hadn't stopped glaring at me, however.

Roman walked over to the lit living area of the warehouse, and placed his cane against a table. He turned to face the most prominent feature, a map of Vale tacked to a large board.

"Here. This is our target, tomorrow night." Roman said, pointing at a Dust store on the wall.

"Dust till Dawn? That's a small place. Not much in the way of money, I'd wager." I said, frowning as I switched my weapon back to its pistol form, holstering it.

"You'd be right, kid, but we aren't after the money." Roman said.

"I'd appreciate if you'd just tell me, instead of avoiding telling me for some kind of pointless drama." I stated, straight-faced.

"Alright, make it no fun. We've been hired to steal all the Dust in Vale." Torchwick said, giving me a slight frown.

"All the Dust? Why?" I asked, eyebrow raised.

"You know how this works, kid. Need to know, and all that." Roman said, turning to Neo. "Did you manage to get what we needed whilst you were out?"

Neo shook her head, a sullen look on her face.

"Couldn't be helped. Junior had nothing for us. At least we picked him up." Roman said, gesturing towards me.

"I got fired because I helped you. Roman took it upon himself to give me a job." I explained, and Neo stared at me, before turning her head back to Roman, cocking an eyebrow.

"He's been useful so far. Besides, he has what I sent you out to get in the first place." Roman said.

"Wait, I do?" I asked, confused.

"You worked at the Schnee place. Which means, you have all the stuff we need to rob the place." Roman answered, giving me a smirk.

I nodded. "I'll help you, but we have to do it this week." I said, walking over to a blank desk. Next to the desk was a stack of paper, and a series of writing implements.

Grabbing one, with Roman and Neo watching over my shoulders, I quickly sketched a floor plan of the SDC Vale Branch as I remembered it, which was rather well.

"See, Neo? Told you he'd be worth it." Roman said to his silent companion, who simply stared at the handmade blueprint, stone-faced.

I stepped back from the drawing I'd finished, and gave it a quick one-over. It was good enough, and as accurate as I possibly could get it.

"There you go. I know the security shifts, the codes, which they may or may not have changed, and where the cameras are. It's all marked." I said, pointing each thing out.

"Damn, kid. That's better than what Neo would've been able to get. My only question is why this week?" Roman asked.

"My boss and another colleague, who were good people, are off this week. The guy who turned me in and two other assholes are on duty for the rest of the week. I'd rather they get blamed." I answered.

Roman chuckled. "One last thing, kid. You need a name."

I thought for a moment, before I remembered.

"Call me Wraith."

* * *

 **Just a quick chapter, still in the introductory phase of this story. Soon we'll be getting to some thicker plot, and something might actually happen!**

 **I always appreciate reviews, so if anyone wants to, please feel free.**

 **And, as always, see you next chapter  
~AFatFlyingWhale**


	4. Raining on My Parade

**Short chapter today, but it's mostly plot. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Well, considering I'm busy for the foreseeable future, you and Neo will be pulling this job." Roman said, once again a cigar in his mouth, exhaling smoke.

Neo stared at Roman with an intense look, one that Roman was obviously used to, as his facial reply was one of dry humour and mild consternation.

"It's just you for Dust Till Dawn?" I asked, mildly surprised.

"I've got some of Junior's boys that I hired the other day,. It's only a small shop, shouldn't be all that difficult. Besides, I have some rapid extraction setup in case things go south." Roman said, and Neo frowned.

I turned to Neo. "So, should I plan or do you want to?" I asked.

I received a shrug, and I interpreted it as a gesture for me to plan.

"Alright. I'll think on it overnight, see if I can figure out a way in and out without setting off any alarms. We're just after transport schedules, right?" I questioned, receiving a nod from Neo.

"Got it. I'll meet back up tomorrow morning." I said, giving a quick wave over my shoulder as I began to walk away.

The door to the warehouse squeaked on its hinges before closing behind me. It was late evening by now, but the city was still abuzz, even for a weekday.

I walked down the streets of Vale, the evening air cold against my face. It smelt like ash, smog and metal shavings, the first getting stronger and stronger as I closed in on my apartment.

Something was wrong, the night sky darker than usual.

It was also getting so much warmer. That was rather odd for today, especially considering weather report on the VNN.

The glow from further up the street was unusual, too.

So was the fire that blazed from the walls of my apartment building.

"Huh." I said. There wasn't much else for me to say.

"Hey, Caramel. Thank Dust! Thought for a second you'd been swept up in the blaze." It was the man from down the hallway, one I didn't necessarily keep up with.

"Hey…" I began, trailing off as I tried to remember his name. "What happened?"

"No clue, buddy. I was half-asleep on the couch, and then the entire place was on fire." He said, and I stared at the walls, the burning brick and wood spreading smoke over the sky.

A man, dressed in firefighter's gear, jogged up. "You live here?" He asked, sweating profusely, wiping soot from his forehead.

"Yeah…" I said, still a little shocked.

The firefighter briskly paced back to his similarly dressed cohorts, speaking quickly.

I was still a little shellshocked, but I recollected my thoughts and snapped into a more organised mindset, as I quickly walked over to the firefighters.

"Was I the last one unaccounted for?" I asked, concerned.

"One other person, kid. Where'd you live?" The firefighter I'd previously spoken to had turned to face me.

"3C." I responded quickly.

"You know a guy called Almond, in 3A?" The firefighter asked, frowning underneath his helmet.

"Yeah, he was my neighbour. Is he still unaccounted for?" I asked.

"No. So far, he's the only casualty." The firefighter replied.

I stepped back, and a rush of emotion took over. Sure, Almond was nuts, no pun intended, but that didn't mean he wasn't likeable. He was surprisingly wise for someone so clueless, and at the very least he was reliable. He didn't deserve this.

The firefighter had continued speaking. "So far everyone is accounted for, so that's good news. Go, kid. We've got this handled."

He thought I was a Huntsman, asking to help. I wasn't, not by a long shot. Not anymore.

Tonight I was a soon-to-be thief without a place to stay, a job to go to or a friend to rely on.

Tonight was going to be very cold.

* * *

Have you ever been in public and seen someone fall?

Like a train off its rails, unable to stop?

You just stand there and watch in abject horror and morbid fascination as they tumble, seemingly in slow motion, inching further and further towards that fateful impact, the undeniable pain that would soon follow.

I can imagine that that is what it would be like to witness my past few days.

A man slowly but surely plunging towards his demise, the viewer unable to intervene.

I was rambling, at this point, but I had to keep my mind busy as I wandered the dark streets of downtown Vale.

I had nowhere to go, no one to speak to about shelter, and no money. That was the downside.

The upside?

I was coming up rather poetic speeches. That had to count for something.

Or I was just delirious.

I wasn't myself, and wandering around wasn't really helping.

For once, I thought that being myself might actually be a good thing, but…

" _Hide yourself. People will be afraid of you. Blend in, until the time comes where you don't have to anymore."_

Was it time?

Was this the time for me to come out of hiding?

I'd already told those two my name.

Maybe it was the right time. Life hadn't exactly been great for the past year I'd been hiding.

Of course, what did I have to lose.

A single job to get a easy bit of income to last between jobs was one thing, and stealing a transport schedule was pretty low on the list of crimes I could commit.

But working with them on a more permanent basis?

That was a dangerous decision, and not one to be made lightly.

No. I had nothing to lose, and everything to gain.

Screw the world, all it did was screw me.

It was time to flip those tables.

* * *

Honestly, my night hadn't been going swell to begin with, and now it was raining.

It certainly suit the mood, but it was unappreciated.

But then again, how many movies featured the protagonist walking amongst graves whilst it rained?

Maybe that was it, that my life was just some kind of movie, and it'd all work out perfectly in the end.

I doubted that.

I wasn't here for no reason, however.

No, I was here to visit someone.

"Hey, Caramel," I muttered to the cold stone marker that sat above the dirt. "Been a while. How've you been?"

There was no response from the grave, but that was expected.

"I've made my decision. It's time to come out of hiding, like you said. Sorry I'm not here to talk more, though. I'm just here for what you've been holding onto for me," I said, reaching into my pocket for the one thing I always carried on me.

In my hand I held a small key, hanging on a steel chain. Quickly hanging it over my neck, I reached over to my side for the shovel that was lodged into the loamy dirt and grabbed it with my other hand.

It was time to start the unholy excavation.

* * *

And what an excavation it was. I'd forgotten just how deep she'd been buried, but I was thankful I hadn't had to dig _that_ deep.

I climbed out of the hole and heaved, pulling on a rope I'd affixed to the coffin that sat in the bottom of the muddy, wet pit.

Straining against gravity, I managed to pull the wooden box out of the hole, and onto more even ground.

Although, now that I thought about it, it probably would've been smarter to have just opened it in the hole. Damnit.

I brushed my hands against my wet, dirt-stained jacket, and grabbed the key dangling around my neck, inserting it into the lock, and twisting.

There was a click as the lock disengaged, and a second click as the lid opened.

I threw the lid open wide, and stared at the things we'd put in here a year ago.

It'd been that long, but then again, a year wasn't the longest period of time to exist.

Now wasn't the time to reminisce. I was at best going to be charged with grave robbing, and at worst…

I reached inside the coffin and grabbed the long metal box, slinging the strap over my shoulder, before grabbing the burlap sack and tying it to my belt loop.

Quickly, I closed the coffin and gave it a shove, the box tumbling back into the hole.

Now was the time to bury the evidence, so to speak.

It was certainly easier to fill in the hole than it was to dig it, that was for certain.

The rain had stopped, however, the irony not lost on me.

Off I walked into the night, covered in mud, soaked to the bone, and focused.

It was time to convince someone to let me stay over.

This wasn't going to be easy.

* * *

She looked at me as if I was insane, which, to be far, was a perfectly reasonable thing to suspect.

Tonight, I wasn't even sure if I was sane.

"Look, Neo, I wouldn't be here if I had anywhere else left. My fucking apartment burned down. I'm not exactly surrounded by friends and family," I said, sighing as I leaned against the doorframe.

She cocked her head in thought, before stepping aside, the estoc leaving my throat.

"Thanks. I owe you one," I said, stepping into the threshold of the warehouse.

Neo walked forwards past the crates of dust and pointed to the nearby couch, before pointing to a dark corner in the far end of the warehouse.

"You want me to drag the couch over there?" I asked.

My only response was a nod.

I gave another sigh. "Sure thing."

I walked up to the two-seater and quickly grabbed it by the armrest, dragging it towards the corner that had been silently pointed out.

I relinquished my grip on my makeshift bed, only to have a thin blanket smack me in the face, followed by a thin cushion.

"I really appreciate this, Neo. Thank you."

Her only response was a shrug, before she climbed back into her exceedingly comfortable, overly warm bed.

I had to laugh at that. So much for the grateful damsel in distress, and all that.

I took off my jacket and hung it over the back of the couch, before getting comfortable on the old couch, pulling the blanket atop me.

It was warmer than I expected, but I appreciated the extra warmth. It had been a cold night, out there.

I slept deeply that night, in the company of an assassin.

* * *

 **Honestly, I like this chapter just cause of that last line :P**

 **Also, a side note, I'm not exactly good at writing first-person, and this story is an excuse to practice that. I'm much better at third-person, but I won't be swapping in this story, which does hamper my ability to emphasize plot points or run concurrent plot lines easily.**

 **Oh well.**

 **And, as always, see you next chapter  
~AFatFlyingWhale**


	5. Chai Latte and New Guns

**Not much to say up here, so enjoy!**

* * *

The sun shone through the ceiling skylight, blinding me as I attempted to wake slowly and comfortably.

I stumbled out of the couch-slash-bed that I'd slept in, and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, attempting to open them without being blinded.

I was successful on the third attempt, and upon opening my eyes I was greeted with a glorious sight.

Neo was up, fully dressed, and had her gaze pointed directly at me, a look in her eyes that was very convincingly telling me to get ready.

I did as instructed, quickly grabbing my coat off the back of the couch and slinging it on, after checking that the case and the sack I'd brought in last night were still behind the couch where I'd left them.

I heard a tap, and I turned around as I finished buttoning up my shirt. Neo was standing near the entrance, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm coming," I said, holstering my pistol and clenching my fist to readjust my plated glove.

The door swung open, and I followed Neo out into the morning sunshine.

"So, we're getting stuff for the hit?" I asked, looking at the short girl to see her response.

A single nod.

"Well, considering I was in charge of planning, I suppose I should get started walking you through it."

Neo shook her head.

"Or I could just follow you wherever we are going, I suppose," I said, doing exactly as I said as Neo led me towards a shopping district.

I followed the ice-cream-themed girl through bustling streets, empty alleyways, and past a small blacksmith, before Neo doubled back and entered the blacksmith.

"Ah, Neo. Roman need something?" The man inside asked, his gravelly voice blending in with the smoke, ash and metal filings that coated the floor.

Neo shook her head and withdrew her scroll from her pocket, handing it over to the man behind the counter.

"And this is for Roman?" The man asked.

Neo shook her head again, and pointed at me. I gave a small nod.

"Kid, if you are mute too, I'm going to punch a hole in you." The man said, anger darkening his face.

I laughed. "Nah, I can speak."

"Oh, thank the maker. I was going to be real frustrated with Roman if all he did was collect silent killers," The man said. "Now, Neo, when do you need this done by?"

Neo looked at me, almost demanding that I answer.

"According to Neo, tonight?" I said, a little confused.

"Oh for f…" The man said under his breath, before glaring at Neo. "You know the only reason I do this is because you scare the ever-loving crap outta me, right?"

Neo nodded happily.

"Come back in six hours, and it'll be ready," The man ordered.

Neo gave a nod and placed a bundle of lien on the counter, which the man promptly swept into his hands and dumped into the register.

I walked out of the blacksmith with Neo, who directed me towards the nearest cafe.

We grabbed a table near the window, out of earshot of passersby, and ordered.

A few minutes later and a chai latte was placed in front of me, and a bowl of neapolitan ice cream placed in front of Neo.

"Alright, now do you want me to tell you the plan?" I asked.

Neo nodded.

I explained the plan.

* * *

An hour had passed, of me explaining the plan, and Neo nodding or shaking her head in varying degrees of agreement at each part.

We were more or less in agreement with how to infiltrate the Vale Branch, but with five or so hours to kill, we'd realised that maybe we had left a little too early.

Of course, Neo had an idea of what to do. She hadn't communicated what it was that she wanted to do, so I was still lost, but from the way she led me through Vale, it was something that she was looking forward too.

Which probably meant I'd end up getting stabbed, or something. Seemed like the kind of thing she'd enjoy, considering that sharpened blade she kept on her at all times.

It was at this point that we arrived at our destination.

Lo and behold, another abandoned warehouse.

I don't know what I'd expected, but it certainly fit the theme so far.

My mind was drawn away from comparing my life to cliches as a tell-tale hissing of metal on metal sounded out, and I turned around to see Neo drawing her estoc from its sheath in her parasol, the blade glinting menacingly.

"Training, huh," I said, realising that Neo intended to beat the ever-loving crap out of me.

A single nod was my only response.

I checked my glove to see if it was still taught against my hand, and placed my other hand on the handle of my pistol.

We waited for a moment, before I took the initiative, charging forward, pistol leaving the holster and shifting form, the blade of the dagger in my hand gleaming in the same light that Neo's estoc had.

Neo parried the dagger thrust with her estoc before bending backwards, delivering a swift kick at my head, which I side-stepped.

I threw a knee up to throw her off balance, but she saw it coming, using the momentum of her missed kick to flip her out of the way.

She came down from the flip with another kick, to which I blocked with my arm, my gloved fist reaching out to hit her undefended chest, but she parried the blow with her parasol, the handle throwing my strike just wide of her.

I spun with the added momentum, bringing my blade back for a vicious backhanded strike, but by the time I'd finished my spin Neo was long gone, already behind me.

I felt her heeled boots impact against my undefended back and I stumbled forwards, off balance, but I placed a hand against the ground, flipping to face her.

Estoc sheathed back in the parasol, said weapon being spun around her hand like it was nothing, Neo struck a rather intimidating pose for someone so short.

I had no doubts that she would've been able to hand Junior's thugs had she not been caught so off guard by a tranq dart.

I decided that if we were to be working together, it would be best she saw what I was truly skilled in, and whilst I could hold my own in close quarters, I was much better at range.

I leaped backwards, dagger shifting back into its pistol form, and I leveled it, squeezing the trigger a few times.

Three bullets exited the chamber in succession, the silencer on the end of the barrel dampening the gas, the gunshots almost silent as the fire dust ignited to propel the metal projectiles.

Neo took it in stride, quite literally, as she walked towards me, parasol out in front of her, the canopy open to reveal intricate lace, which also happened to be bulletproof, which I personally thought was unfair. Although the concept of bulletproof lingerie was not lost on me.

I snapped my attention back from my thoughts as Neo ramped up the speed of her approach, her body held low to minimize the presented target.

I stepped backwards, trying to maintain some space between us, but Neo wasn't having it, quickly intercepting my attempt at gaining distance with a blunt strike from the parasol in her hand.

It struck against my gloved hand as I deflected, and Neo followed the attempted strike up with a firm kick, which struck against my other arm, as I moved in to aim my pistol at her chest.

Three more squeezes of the trigger and three more bullets fired, but Neo quickly vanished, a flash of light the only telltale sign of her presence, were it not for the fact that I'd just been shooting at her.

The three bullets thudded into the concrete floor, pockmarking it, as a blow from behind knocked me forwards.

Damn, those heels. Neo certainly knew where to impact, the blunt force very indicative of her personality.

Contrary to popular belief, I didn't go around testing my physical resistance to pain every chance I got. Normally, I went out of my way to _avoid_ pain as best I could, so these direct impacts to my aura were going to ache.

I knew Neo had used her semblance, so kind of teleport, or maybe an illusion. It was difficult to tell, but I was still yet to reveal mine.

Before I even got the chance to turn around, I heard a small vibrating noise coming from Neo.

She held up a finger as I turned, and she answered her scroll.

What followed was the most one-sided conversation I'd ever witnessed, and I quirked an eyebrow at exactly how odd it was.

Neo changed fingers from her index to her middle, rotating her hand so that the back faced me. Rude.

Neo hung up the scroll, placing the device back in her pocket. With her other hand, she balanced her parasol over her shoulder.

"What now?" I asked, holstering my pistol.

Neo motioned for me to follow her, something I was beginning to become very familiar with.

I sighed, and followed the short girl as she once again led me through Vale.

* * *

I was led to a dimly lit half-abandoned apartment building, that honestly looked like it was a slight breeze away from crumbling to dust.

"Neo, I appreciate you trying to find me a new place, but I'm sure I can do better than this," I said, marvelling at the severe lack of structural integrity.

Neo shook her head, and walked inside, with me right behind her.

The inside wasn't much better than the outside, with the elevator shaft completely demolished, and the stairs looking like one wrong move would have them following.

"Ah, Miss Neo. I believe I was told you were coming. Is there something I can do for you?" The voice came from an elderly gentleman dressed in a near-perfect suit, standing behind a receptionist's desk.

Neo quickly held up her hands and signed something to the man, but I only noticed out of the corner of my eye as my attention was mostly taken up by the man.

 _Why was there a butler in this wreck?_

"Ah, of course Miss Neo. If the two of you would please step this way?" The butler asked, gesturing towards a small door behind him.

Neo walked through it, and down the stairs behind the door, and I followed, trailed by the butler.

What I was expecting was not what was in the basement of the ruined apartment complex.

"Welcome to the Armory, sir. Miss Neo, feel free to peruse whilst I take care of your friend here," The man said as he led me towards a room adjacent to what could only be described as the most illegal operation I'd ever seen.

The entire basement was open-plan, aside from a few side rooms, but all the walls were lined with various shelves, all holding weapons and armour.

It was, without a doubt, an armory, as the name suggested.

I stared as I walked, my eyes cataloging everything I could identify, before the butler opened a door and ushered me in.

This room was much smaller, and featured a massive mirror that stretched across the entire wall.

"Now, may I have your name, sir?" The butler asked, closing the door behind him.

"Only if I get yours," I replied.

The man gave a soft chuckle. "You may call me Mr Hallow."

"Then call me Wraith," I responded. "What am I doing here?"

"Ms Neo has asked me to get you some equipment, and from what I can tell, you seem to agree," Hallow answered.

"I already have my gear that I need," I objected.

"But do you have the gear that you _want?_ " Hallow asked.

I froze in thought, before snapping back to reality for a moment.

"I don't have the money to pay for anything, though," I said.

"And that is where Miss Neo comes in. She's been a valuable customer, and has also decided to pay for whatever you wish. Now, I shall see about getting you equipped," Hallow said, walking over to a terminal on the wall.

I watched as he opened a program, before he turned back to me.

"Now, Mr Wraith, what kind of weapons and armour do you currently use?" He asked, fingers on the holographic keyboard.

"Mostly ranged weapons, although I'm confident with anything, and primarily light armour," I listed off, remembering what I'd been taught.

Hallows browsed what could only be described as the most lethal catalogue of weapons I'd ever witnessed, before he selected a set.

A loud noise came from behind me, and I turned as Hallow briskly walked over to the other wall, hitting a button on a small keypad.

The wall slid down into the floor, and behind it was a series of shelves similar to what lined the walls of the main room, but where they stored all sorts of weapons and armour, this set had a specific set of choices, all ones I'd seen listed on the terminal.

I joined Hallow, who was scanning over the selection. There were various rifles, a selection of knives, and a set of dark clothing.

I ran my hand down the material of the clothing, noting it's odd feel.

"Well, Mr Wraith, it would appear that this is all you need, well within Miss Neo's budget she provided. Shall we?" Hallow looked to me, a questioning expression on his greyed face.

I nodded in response, unhooking the clothing and quickly getting dressed.

I looked at myself in the mirror, marvelling at how I looked.

My dark hair contrasted well against my pale skin, which in turn suited my colour scheme.

The new gear I was wearing was almost perfect. A black overcoat that stretched down to my knees, a dark grey buttoned shirt, black pants and my own pair of black combat boots, along with my grey leather belt and holster.

According to Hallow, the material was a synthetic fiber designed to be both bulletproof and knife-proof, which was useful. It also provided a minor protection against impacts, although it wasn't quite as good as a solid set of heavier armour, which served me better.

I always preferred to _not_ get hit, rather than tank the hit.

"I must say, Mr Wraith, you certainly suit the part of a grayscale hitman," Hallow said, quickly checking the clothes.

"This is where Neo got her stuff, isn't it?" I asked, watching the older man as he affirmed that he had in fact gotten my measurements correct the moment he'd seen me.

"Yes, this is where Miss Neo acquired her garments. Her weapon was of her own creation, however, but I did provide the materials," Hallow answered.

I remembered the bulletproof lace.

"Shall we move onto the weapons, Mr Wraith?" Hallow asked, motioning towards the other half of the shelves.

I nodded in response, as Hallow retrieved a long rifle.

He handed it to me, and I quickly began to familiarize myself with the weapon.

"This is a heavily altered Atlesian Dust Rifle. It features an inbuilt suppressed barrel, a forty-five degree red dot sight, an adjustable zoom scope, with zoom levels of times four to times fourteen, and a few attachments, for quality of life," Hallow explained, as I got accustomed to the feel of the rifle.

It was jet black and far more compact than the standard Atlesian Dust Rifle, sleeker and smoother too. I flipped between the angled sight and the scope, and quickly felt my way around the safety and mag release buttons, along with the toggle that swapped from single, burst and automatic fire modes.

Hallow reached over and passed me a small magazine, and I took it, sliding it into place.

"That magazine holds twenty rounds, but there are larger capacity magazines. I have included them in your purchase," Hallow explained.

The magazine I'd slotted in was empty, and I quickly checked the firing mechanism. It was smooth, evidence of some tampering. The standard ADR's were clunky and prone to jamming, but far easier to mass produce. This was more of a Huntsman's weapon, than it was an ADR.

"If I'm correct, this weapon was made and customized in a very similar way to that pistol of yours," Hallow pointed out, gesturing towards my pistol that sat in my holster.

That had me a little suspicious.

"How would you know that?" I asked, frowning.

"Both weapons were based on the same designs, Atlesian Tech. I've spent more than enough time with both to be able to recognize a highly customized variant, although yours is certainly of a higher quality than the majority of ones that I create. The mecha-shifting is certainly well incorporated," Hallow said, looking closer at my pistol.

I relaxed slightly, placing the rifle back on its stand. "A friend made it for me."

"Well, I do hope you could provide me with either the plans for the weapon, or allow me to meet with this friend of yours. Their mechanical prowess is astounding," Hallow said, before turning back to the shelves.

"I'll see about getting you the plans. I certainly don't need them, and my friend hasn't needed them for a while," I said, with a sigh.

Hallow seemed to understand. "Of course, my apologies Mr Wraith. Sometimes my excitement can get the best of my manners."

There was a moment of silence, before Hallow turned around and handed my a small pouch, with small metal handles sticking out.

I took it, and Hallow motioned to my belt, where I affixed it, the pouch sitting comfortably opposite my holster.

"These are incredibly compact, but incredibly sharp, throwing knives. You seem capable of being accurate with them, am I correct?" Hallow asked.

I nodded in response, drawing one from the pouch. It was thin but well balanced, almost more of a dart than a knife.

"Other than those, there are a few other pieces of equipment here. A few combat knives, some grenades, and a leg holster. Put them on, and we'll head down to the range," Hallow said, waiting patiently by the door.

I did as instructed, placing the equipment where it fit best, the grenades hooking onto the back of my belt, the leg holster on the inside of my left shin, and the knives in the various sheaths sewn into the clothing. One on the inside of my right shin, one hanging on the back of my belt, and one on the inner left part of my overcoat. I slung the rifle over my shoulder, ready to leave.

I stepped out into the main room and saw Neo investigating a sniper rifle bigger than her entire body. She saw me walking out, and quickly walked over, giving me a once over with her eyes.

Hallow followed me out, closing the door behind him, and motioning for the two of us to follow him to a set of metal doors at the far end of the room.

The three of us walked through the metal doors into an elevator, where Hallow hit a button. The elevator began its descent, and I waited until the elevator stopped, shuddering.

The doors slid open and I stared at the massive open space beneath the Armory. The firing range was massive, and as the three of us left the elevator, I noticed the terminal that Hallow walked over to.

A few keypresses and a series of holographic targets appeared, floating at various distances around the range.

"Here you go, Mr Wraith. Get a feel for the weapon," Hallow said, offering me a loaded magazine.

I took it, ejecting the empty magazine onto the table to the side of where I was standing, and loaded the new mag. I pulled the bolt back smoothly, chambering a new round, and flicked the weapon to semi-automatic.

I took a breath, and flipped the rifle's safety off, aiming down the scope at the furthest target.

"Whenever you are ready, Mr Wraith," Hallow said.

I breathed in, and lined up the target's center.

I could hear Neo's intake of breath, her anticipation palpable.

I released my breath and squeezed the trigger, the bullet exiting the chamber and flying across the range, travelling almost eight hundred feet in a matter of moments, and smacking straight into the bullseye of the target.

I didn't pay any attention to that the moment I squeezed the trigger, because I'd already realigned to the second target and fired, before switching to another target.

There were eight targets in total, set at one hundred feet increments. As I fired, I changed the magnification of the scope, turning it lower and lower until I was at the three hundred mark with a magnification of four, firing another shot.

With a quick breath I switched from using the scope to using the angled dot sight, and fired two more shots at the two hundred and one hundred mark targets.

I flicked the safety on, ejected the magazine, and pulled back on the bolt, the rifle spitting out the unfired ninth round onto the table, where both magazines now sat.

"That, Mr Wraith, was some of the best shooting I've seen in the range, to this date. Well done," Hallow said, a surprised look on his face.

I placed the rifle on the table and quickly loaded the ninth round back into the magazine.

I saw, in the corner of my eye, Neo's face, her mouth agape in a perfect O shape.

That made me smile, a little.

I heard more typing, and I looked back up at the range. Thirty targets had appeared, all at one hundred feet, spread out at about eight feet between each target.

Hallow handed me a much larger magazine, two cylinders fixed together on the end of a standard magazine. I recognized it as a dual drum magazine.

I loaded it in, flipping the firing mode to automatic, and toggling the safety. I pulled on the bolt, and chambered a new round, before flipping the gun ninety degrees, not using either of the sights.

I could tell that both Hallow and Neo were confused.

I opened fire, the recoil of the rifle pushing it sideways towards the next target. I allowed a modicum of control, but the recoil of the weapon was almost enough to carry my aim across each target.

The bullets weren't hitting each target in the center, but there were enough targets that it didn't matter. It was about quantity over quality with this amount of opponents, even if these opponents were holographic circles.

I finished firing, and did the same as before, ejecting the mag and unfired bullet, and flicking the safety on.

"You've been trained by some kind of special forces, haven't you?" Hallow asked, and I tensed up.

Hallow must have noticed. "Regardless, Mr Wraith, I hope you feel confident with the weapons I've provided."

He turned to Neo. "Are we done here, Ms Neo, or is there something you wish to purchase today?"

Neo shook her head and handed Hallow a small key, which he took with a nod.

"A pleasure doing business with you, Ms Neo, Mr Wraith. You may leave whenever you feel, I have some things I must attend to upstairs. Oh, and before I forget, Mr Wraith, all the extra attachments, magazines and ammunition will be delivered to where Ms Neo is currently staying," Hallow said, before he stepped into the elevator and ascended.

I turned to Neo, who was still a little dumbstruck. "You didn't tell me you knew sign language."

Neo froze, before signing, "You didn't tell me you knew it either!"

I sighed. "I know almost every damn language on Remnant, Neo. Although, I didn't actually mention that, so we're kind of both at fault."

"Where did you learn to shoot like that?" Neo signed, a surprised look on her face.

I turned away. "A long story, one that I'd prefer not to get into."

Neo nodded, before picking up one of the dust rounds that sat on the table, the one I'd ejected and hadn't loaded into a magazine yet. She handed it to me, and I placed it in the dual drum mag.

"Let's go." Neo signed.

I nodded in agreement, loading the empty magazine into the rifle and placing the other two onto hooks on my belt.

We still had a few hours to kill, but I was sure we'd figure something out.

* * *

 **That's it for the longest chapter so far, I hope it was worth it. Things are progressing slowly, but they'll get all heisty soon enough.**

 **Hope you enjoyed, and, as always, see you next chapter  
** **~AFatFlyingWhale**


	6. Bar Fight II: The Heistening

We hadn't figured out something to do.

It wasn't that we lacked choice, of course, but it was more of a matter of actually wanting to _do_ said choice.

Neo was a girl who was lethal in plenty of ways, from her gaze to her parasol, and convincing a mute assassin to enjoy the sights of a city she'd spent plenty of time killing in was far more complicated than it sounded.

"Neo, we can't just wander around the city with nothing to do for hours just because you don't want to sit in a park," I said, hands sitting comfortably in my new pockets as I paced alongside her.

"Ooh, a park, great. It's green, it's got trees, what's not to like?" Neo signed, the sarcasm evident even without her actually speaking.

"Well, where would you _like_ to go, then?" I asked, shaking my head.

"A club," Came the ever eloquent response from the mute girl.

"It's four in the afternoon, Neo."

She shrugged in response to that.

"Dust, I've barely known you for a day and I can already read you like a book," I muttered, to which I received a glare. I deserved that one.

"Look, we have about four hours to kill before tonight, and only two before we have to go pick up whatever it was you got at the blacksmith, so sure, why not. Know any good clubs?" I asked.

The mischievous look in her eyes should have probably told me I shouldn't've agreed.

* * *

It had been almost half an hour, walking towards wherever Neo was taking me, but I recognized the surroundings pretty damn fast.

"Oh, please not Junior's. I really don't want to go to a place where half the staff want me dead," I said aloud.

"Better than all the staff wanting you dead," Neo signed back in response, and I couldn't bring myself to fault her logic, if I even could.

We approached the entrance, and I gave the bouncer a glare. He wisely didn't comment, but I wasn't sure if that was because of me or Neo.

She pushed open the doors to the club, and the thudding music that had been a dull throb on the outside became a resolute booming, the volume having increased dramatically due to the basic science of how sound worked.

The moment the two of us stepped over the threshold, two things happened.

The first thing was a look from Junior and his two enforcers. One look of consternation and frustration, the other two of curiosity and mild interest.

The second thing that happened was the seven men, dressed in Junior's gang uniform, that stepped close to Neo and I, attempting to look intimidating.

"Junior, call off your little mooks, or they'll find I'm not so forgiving when I'm not trying to hide. That or they'll have to contend with Neo, and we both know who you'd rather fight," I called out to their boss, who was tending the bar.

"Boys, back off. No picking fights with customers unless you have my say-so. Got it?" Junior shouted out, and the seven backed off, suitably chastised.

"Speaking of which, I damn hope you are customers, 'cause otherwise we are going to have a little problem, and Melanie and Miltia are going to get some unneeded exercise," He said, reaching under the bar and retrieving a cocktail glass, going about the business of filling it with an exotic blend of drinks I couldn't recognize by smell alone.

"Pretty sure, Junior. Neo and I have some time to kill, and she doesn't exactly enjoy art galleries when she's on the _right_ side of the law for once," I replied, bending over the bar and grabbing a shot glass, pouring myself a shot of tequila.

I reasoned that it was probably a good idea only to have one shot.

Junior sat the exotic cocktail in front of Neo, and it was only then that I recognized what kind it was, a blend of chocolate, vanilla and strawberry liqueurs.

"I can imagine that Neo would raise some hackles on the security there," Junior muttered, and Neo obviously heard it, a sharp glare at the bartender.

"Junior, can I ask you something?" I asked, placing my shot glass upside down on the bartop.

"Sure, kid, why the hell not. I don't got much better to do anyways."

"Where'd you find the two cuties?" I asked, a smirk on my face.

Junior sputtered, before rounding on me with an angry expression on his face. In the background I could hear the twins giggling lightly, and even Neo had a mild smirk on her face.

"Those 'cuties' are my nieces, you prick! Don't even think about it, boy, or I'll show you some real pain!" Junior blustered, his attempt at threatening me taken less seriously by the massively red face he wore, and the increasingly loud giggling.

"Relax, Junior, or you'll blow a blood vessel," I said, laughing.

Junior continued to fume.

"I can make it up to you, if you feel that slighted by it," I said, before muttering, "Tough mob boss, as if."

Neo picked up on the second part, silently laughing.

"I don't need you to do anything other than stay away from them," Junior said with a frown.

"Anything else? Anything at all? I could maybe convince the next Huntress in here to _not_ trash it?" I said, a smirk on my face.

"Hrmph," Junior grunted.

"That sounds like a deal, big man. I'm not hearing a disagreement here."

Junior frowned, but nodded, and I realised I'd taken the joke far enough to accidentally sign myself up as security for a club run by a mob boss. How I ended up in these situations was beyond me, honestly.

Any conversation we would've had from that point onwards was interrupted by raucous laughter, male, and the sense of complete discomfort.

Neo tapped my on the shoulder, but I was already turning around, looking to where the disturbance was coming from.

Five men, wearing green and white all over, but not sticking to any one dress code, sat in one of the booths, a girl in between the two on the left side. All of them were leering at the girl, and her face gave off a look of displeasure hidden behind fear.

I looked to Junior, but he hadn't done anything about it, despite his noticing. I looked over to the twins, and despite their obviousness in wanting to do something about it, they remained rooted to the spot, looking between the situation and their boss and uncle.

I went to look at Neo to judge her reaction, but I had to look further than her bar stool, as she'd already made her way towards their booth.

This probably wasn't going to make Junior happy.

I stood up and quickly sped up my pace to catch up with the shorter girl.

"Are we doing something about this?" I asked.

"Those are Bolo's men. Roman wants Bolo out of the picture, and I'm not a big fan of them personally. Take it outside, minimize damage, leave one alive," Neo signed in response, and I gave a nod, before I placed my hand on her shoulder.

"Let me lead, huh? It'll get the message across quicker," I said.

Neo slowed her pace by a step, allowing me to take over as lead, and we quickly reached the booth.

"Hey, you alright?" I asked, directing my question at the girl.

"Fuck off, dickwad. She's fine," The first one said, his green and white bandana wrapped around his head probably indicating he was the leader of the little group.

Or not, honestly. It was difficult to tell at times.

"I don't remember speaking to you," I said, turning to face him.

"If you want to pick a fight, shithead, I 'reckon you should fuck right off. I'm here to enjoy this fine girl's company, and you ain't invited."

I sighed. "Well, looks like you and your friends are too cowardly to face me, huh? Well, I'll be outside if you change your minds and grow some balls."

That had the reaction I was looking for, the five of them all attempting to leave the booth at the same time, and effort not to grab me whilst all of Junior's men and his two enforcers were watching being made, but not strictly adhered to.

I walked out the front door, Neo flanking me from a short distance, as the five of Bolo's crew struggled to leave the door, all making bets who would beat my skull in first.

The road was mostly clear, and gave me clear access to the curb, so it was pretty much standard cliche street fighting territory, which suited me fine.

"We're gonna kick your dick in, asshat!" The one with the bandana shouted, his four friends all shouting varying things to the same effect.

I feigned a yawn, giving my arms a stretch as I did so.

The five took it as a sign to withdraw their weapons, a mix of clubs, bats and a knife. Cheap, mass-produced civilian weaponry that worked just as well against civilians without aura, but against me it would be like whacking a concrete wall with a fish.

Not that anyone would whack a concrete wall with a fish, of course, but it's more about the mental image it invokes and less about the literal aspect.

They were far less regulated, less trained and less disciplined than even Junior's thugs, as when my first suppressed bullet hit the leader in the head, he dropped, blood and chunks of grey matter exiting the back of his head through the small hole that had been made rather quickly.

The other four looked shocked, and before they could react, I fired three more shots. Two hit two in the head, dropping them instantly, and the third caught the fourth thug in the shoulder, causing him to drop to the ground in agony, screaming in pain.

The fifth promptly turned and tried to flee, only to be driven to the floor face-first as Neo tripped him up.

She picked him up by the back of the head, turning him so he could see the devastation I'd left his crew in. I stared into his eyes as I stamped my foot down on the head of the fourth member, and the man groaned as I impacted.

I stamped again, and this time no noise left the injured man's mouth, his head more of an example of what _not_ to do to someone's head. The aftermath of a vicious curb-stomp, it would appear. If the authorities actually cared to investigate these deaths, they'd have a pretty good boot print to follow.

The fifth man had paled, and I walked close to him, leaning over till I was right in his face.

"So, I'm leaving you alive to send a message to Bolo," I said, before raising my hands and signing, "What am I saying to him?"

Neo replied promptly, dropping the man and signing back, "Bolo leaves Vale, by choice or by casket, by order of Roman."

Neo quickly picked up the man, who had been laying face first in the street, angling his face at me again.

"Bolo leaves Vale, by choice or by casket, by order of Roman," I repeated, and the man paled even further, almost deathly white at this point. "Got it?"

He nodded fervently, and Neo released him, the man scrambling to his feet and running headlong down the street, not stopping to even look back.

I turned to my partner in crime. "Well, that went pretty well, although I think I have some brain on my boots. Should probably wash that off before tonight, huh."

Neo silently giggled, before turning and walking back to the club entrance, grabbing her parasol. I joined her, sticking my head inside the door.

"Catch you around, Junior! Also, you got some dead bodies outside you probably want to take care of that I had nothing to do with!" I shouted to the bartender-slash-owner, who stared at me like I was some kind of ghost.

I quickly ducked my head back outside, avoiding the obvious repercussions of murdering a bunch of gangbangers outside a club where I was friends, or at least an acquaintance, with the owner, and joined Neo as we walked back down the street.

Our next destination on probably one of the busiest, most hectic days of my life in the past day, was the blacksmith we'd visited earlier this morning.

And to think, I hadn't even started the hardest part of the day yet.

* * *

"Honestly, I was hoping you'd forgot. I'm really sick of you in my store, and this is only the second time."

I scratched the back of my head as the blacksmith stared down Neo, who stood with a patient expression, hand outstretched.

"Give me a second, damn you."

He turned around and exited the room, most probably to retrieve whatever Neo was demanding.

I looked at the short girl, as she stood in front of the counter, her face slowly contorting into a far more annoyed expression the more seconds that ticked by.

Thirty seconds passed before the blacksmith returned, a small metal object in his hands.

He tossed it to me. "Get out, and take her with you, please."

I opened the door and held it as Neo left, and I walked out after her, the door shutting behind me. Unlike what I was expecting, however, Neo turned the corner and walked into the alley next to the blacksmith's, indicating that I follow her.

I did so, until we were out of sight of the main thoroughfare.

"It's a mask, so don't wear it in public. Put it on now, though, see if it fits," She signed, and I followed her instructions, placing it on my face and adjusting the straps so it sat snugly.

It was a perfect fit, somehow, and the black metal mask stood out against my paler skin, the open eye-holes perfectly shaped to allow me to see through with no obstruction.

Neo held up her hand, a shard of a mirror floating in it, and I glanced at myself. My hair was covered, and the black metal blended well with the rest of my clothing, the light brown of my eyes standing out as almost the only colour on me.

"Shapes up pretty well, I guess. Put it away, and we'll get ready," Neo said, the glass shard shimmering before it shattered into infinite pieces, scattering to the floor to litter the already admittedly messy alleyway.

I took off the mask, but Neo shook her head. I raised an eyebrow and she responded by miming a button press on the side of her head.

I took that as literal instruction, pressing on what I assumed was a button, before I felt the mask recede, a faint mechanical whirring sounding out as it all folded up, dangling against my neck like a thick necklace, or some kind of neck-guard. I assumed it would work as such, should the situation arise.

It wasn't like I wanted to test it, though. Better to find out in the heat of the moment than risk injury when there wasn't even a fight going on.

"We have an appointment," Neo reminded me, and I nodded, content to follow her as I walked, the two of us headed back to where all this had started.

* * *

"Security's light tonight, from the looks of things. Anthracite and two buddies. Threat undetermined, but if any set off an alarm the entire job is bust, and the routes will change. Entry through the rear door, code is 18562, got it?" I laid out the details for Neo as a reminder, who nodded calmly, slowly sharpening her estoc as she waited.

"When we're in, you take the main terminal, in the head office, code is 25436, and I'll see about picking up anything else, and keep our friends off your back," I continued, and Neo gave me a look.

"Ready when you are, Neo."

A second nod from the short girl came, and the two of us broke cover from the vehicle she'd hotwired earlier, ready to leave in a moments notice.

I walked calmly towards the back door, striding with purpose as I watched the security cameras, tensed for the alarm to suddenly go off.

No such luck for the Schnee Dust Company, as Neo's semblance kept us out of view, somehow, and the two of us reached the door. I quickly entered the code, and the door clicked open, unlocked.

I slipped inside first, and Neo followed closely, ceasing the usage of her semblance that kept us hidden.

I focused, my hearing as sharp as ever, and even straining, I couldn't hear anyone nearby.

"We're clear to move," I signed, and Neo nodded in response, breaking off and heading down the hallway towards the main office, using her semblance to shield herself from any cameras.

I went the opposite way, heading for the security desk, where the camera monitors were located, along with two of the three potential guards.

"Fuck, I'm bored. Where the fuck is Anthra?" One voice asked from the lobby.

"I don't know, probably still down by the vault. Why the hell does it matter, though. Bolo isn't moving in until next week, when it's just Anthra and I on duty, so why do you care?" The second voice was far more illuminating than the first, and I thanked my luck.

"Fuck, chill, right? I'm just wondering," The first replied.

I peered around the corner into the lobby, and I could see the two security guards, one standing near the front door, and the other sitting at the security desk. It was going to be tricky, but I had a plan.

Using my semblance was out of the question for the time being, so I tapped my fist against the wall.

"What the fuck was that?" The first guard asked.

"There's nothing on the cameras," The second one, presumably the one behind the desk, replied, with what I could only assume was a frown on his face.

"I'll check it out. Probably just a rat, or something," The first one said, before extending his nightstick, the tip buzzing as he gave it an experimental zap.

I waited as the footsteps grew closer, and it was the moment the first guard, a pale man, stepped around the corner that I acted, lunging forward with my pistol drawn, grabbing the guard around the neck and pulling him back into the depths of the building.

"Mmph!" The guard struggled against the firm hand I held over his mouth, my pistol pointed at the side of his head.

"I suggest you shut up, or you won't live to see the abstract painting I make on the wall with your brains," I murmured, tensing.

The guard wisely didn't speak, but he continued to struggle against my grip.

"Call for him, tell him you found something he needs to see. Do it now, or I kill you and then him."

The guard tensed, ceasing to struggle.

I waited a moment, and released the hand that covered his mouth.

"Maroon!" The first guard shouted out, but the tone of his voice was relaxed. He was doing as I'd asked, thankfully.

"Come check this out, man!"

Maroon sighed, standing up from his desk and pacing towards the corner.

"What man, you know I'm not supposed to leave the desk-"

Maroon never got to finish the sentence, staring in horror as I released my grip on the now unconscious first guard, already close enough to grab Maroon.

He reached for his weapon, which dangled at his side, just within reach, but his hand never reached the grip, as I caught it and wrenched it behind his body, forcing him to kneel.

I rested the barrel of my pistol against the back of his head, and leaned closer, his arm buckling under my aura-enhanced strength.

"Well, looks like it's just you. I want you to open the vault, Maroon, and you don't really have a choice in the matter. Shall we get moving?" I flicked the baton off his belt, sending it scattering behind me.

"Fuck you," Maroon exclaimed eloquently, struggling.

I moved the pistol barrel to right next to his head, and pulled the trigger. The weapon barked like a dog being smothered, quiet but sharp.

Maroon also reacted like a dog, the beta of the pack, whimpering as I positioned the barrel behind his head again.

"Aura-less guards, just the same as those gangsters earlier. It's almost like you're a part of the same gang…" I mentioned, as I forced Maroon to his feet.

"Wha-" Maroon began, but I pressed the end of the pistol to his neck, the cold metal making him wince.

"No talking, Maroon. Only speak when spoken too, didn't your parents teach you manners?"

I led Maroon to the door where the vault was located, before my scroll vibrated.

' _Data is secure, moving to exit.'_

I chuckled quietly. "Well, half a job done. Now, let's take care of our little friend down here."

The door opened as Maroon entered his codes, and I shoved him inside, the man tumbling down the set of stairs.

A single bullet into his collapsed form was enough to permanently put him out of commision, as I stepped down the staircase slowly, eyes peeled for the only guard who could _actually_ open the safe.

The current head guard, Anthracite Darcy, asshole supreme.

Tonight was going to be a good night.

* * *

 **Well, it's been a while since a DCTA chapter, so here you go! This is a lesser-received project of mine, but I still like the concept. Writing bad guys is fun, and not having to stick to any moral standards is even better! Who cares if they kill a dude, they're bad guys!**

 **In all seriousness, I'm sorry for any of you who were hoping for a quick update, as it has been some time since a chapter, and with Uni starting for me and other projects taking up all my time, along with the new season in Rainbow Six: Siege coming out in a few days, my time is starting to dwindle. I will still write, without a doubt, but it is a matter of quantity, so I do hope you stick with me, but if you don't, that's perfectly fine, and expected.**

 **And, as always, see you next chapter  
~AFatFlyingWhale**


	7. Millenial Housing Market

**Oops. Been a long time. Here you go?**

* * *

The room was large, and solidly built, solid concrete and steel reinforcements, lit by a couple fluorescent lights on the ceiling, flickering out of time to reality, almost at random.

At one end of the room was a massive safe door, and stood next to it was Anthracite Darcy.

He wasn't a big man by any respect, more of an athletic build, but he held himself the way any asshole did. False confidence supported by suicidal bravado, and an ego bigger than both combined.

He thought himself tougher, stronger and smarter than most people, even if he wasn't, and as such didn't take too kindly to anyone _actually_ insinuating that he wasn't the best.

I could tap into that, make him angry enough to make stupid decisions, and put himself in danger, but there wasn't much point.

He didn't have Aura, if he did he wouldn't settle for being a measly gang-member-turned-security-guard, or visa-versa, depending on how the idea had arrived.

Aura would attract Grimm, and businesses tend not to employ people with aura for this fact. It was easy to get around, of course, if you had good control over your aura, enough to dampen it, but someone like Anthracite wouldn't be nearly that smart.

I checked my pistol quickly, checking that I had a round chambered, before pointing it at the man, and waiting a second.

He wasn't a threat in combat, but it was a matter of convincing him to open the safe.

Maybe I could convince him to do it by threatening him, but I doubt he'd listen, thinking he was tough enough to take whatever I could dish out.

I could try pretending to be one of Bolo's men, coming a week early because our timetable had been moved up…

It was worth a try, and I wasn't really coming up with any better ideas, considering my semblance was still off limits.

"Yo, Anthra! I'm here for the pickup!" I called out, stepping out of the shadows and into the fluorescent light, holstering my pistol.

Anthra immediately drew his weapon, rounding on me and toggling the safety.

I raised my hands. "Woah, easy!"

"Who the fuck are you?" Anthra exclaimed, finger on the trigger.

"Bolo sent me, I'm here for the pickup, man!" I said, keeping my hands up.

"That isn't until next week, jackass. What the fuck are you doing here?" Anthra replied.

"Plans got pushed up. A group of our guys got killed, four dead and one injured. Roman's work. He's got a new minion to work for him, as dangerous as that little chick! We gotta move this now, before they hit the stash themselves," I said. I'd always been taught that the best lie was one weaved of truth and falsehoods equally.

"Fuck. Shit! Alright, let's get moving this crap." Anthracite lowered his weapon, and began the process of opening the vault.

I quickly pulled out my scroll whilst he was distracted, and typed out a message to Neo. "2 of 3 guards down, third is opening safe now. Bring the car in, would you?"

I sent the message as the vault door began opening, and a response was quick to come, a single "K" as the response. Ever eloquent was the mute assassin.

"You got some guys to load this stuff in?" Anthracite asked, looking at me as the vault opened.

"Yeah, they're bringing the car around now. How much stuff is there, cause if there is a lot we might have to jack a truck," I replied, discreetly reaching for my pistol.

"Yeah, probably gonna have to jack a truck. Now, I want you to knock me out, so I don't get any of the blame. Got it?" Anthracite said.

I silently chuckled from behind my mask. "With pleasure, asshole."

My pistol flicked out of its holster, and a bullet quickly and quietly left the chamber, screaming down the barrel and making a new hole in Anthracite's head.

I turned, reholstering my pistol, and looked inside the vault.

There were easily thirty something crates, all loaded with dust and labelled with the SDC's logo, that trademark snowflake. My scroll exited its pocket, and I sent another message to Neo. "Bigger than expected reward, going to need to jack a truck, maybe two."

This time, a message from Neo wasn't as quickly forthcoming, as a few moments passed before my scroll vibrated.

"Two SDC trucks are sitting in their garage. Take them."

I placed the scroll back in its pocket, and quickly walked over to the big metal rolling door next to the staircase, hitting the button to retract it.

It was loud, as most garage doors tended to be, but it rolled up, clunking and scraping as metal ground against metal. On the other side was two cargo trucks, and a metal grate-esq security door with a bored Neo standing next to it, the car we'd stolen idling just behind her.

I strode over to the empty security booth and quickly opened the door, hitting the panel inside to unlock and lift the security grate.

It retracted as Neo hopped back in the car, only just tall enough to see over the dash, and drove it inside the garage.

While she did that I broke the locked glass case that held the truck keys inside, grabbing both pairs and leaving the booth.

Neo stepped out of the car, leaving it idle as I tossed her a set of keys, to which she caught with ease.

The two of us quickly opened the back of the trucks, revealing empty cargo areas, before we moved into the vault, checking our newfound cargo.

They weren't that big, and we could fit about twenty in each truck, so one and a half loads total, but the problem was that even with two aura-enhanced individuals it would take some time before we could have all of them loaded, considering it would take both of us just to carry one crate.

I looked around, there had to be some kind of cargo loader, and I spotted the small forklift sitting in the corner of the vault. I jogged over and started it up, thankfully it was keyless, and began driving it over to the crates.

"Neo, keep an eye out for any unwanted attention while I load up the trucks. You might also want to make sure you can actually drive one of the trucks," I said with a chuckle, as I picked up the first crate.

Neo frowned, glaring at me as she headed back towards the trucks.

I began loading the crates, a slow and arduous process.

Moving loot, as it turns out, is the most boring part of the job.

* * *

This job had been surprisingly easy so far, even if I lacked experience with other jobs. Neo was of the same opinion however, so my limited ability to tell whether or not every heist worked out this way wasn't needed.

"Loaded?" The message popped up, my scroll buzzing. I quickly typed out an affirmative reply, and sent it, leaving the forklift in the back of the less-loaded truck. Quickly shutting the door, I motioned to Neo to begin driving, and to my endless amusement she attempted to do so, straining to reach the pedals whilst still seeing over the dashboard.

I clambered inside the cab of my newly acquired truck, and stuck the key in the ignition, placing it in neutral and waiting for Neo to pull out of the cargo bay.

She managed it, somehow, the truck accelerating up the ramp and out into the streets of Vale, closely followed by my own vehicle.

A mostly uninteresting drive through Vale followed, as the two of us maneuvered our vehicles back towards what I was probably going to start referring to as Home Base, until I was actually provided with a proper name for the warehouse.

We weren't being pursued, no tail, not even an unmanned drone. A clean getaway if ever there was one.

We pulled into the warehouse, Neo just barely managing to not slam into the opposite wall as she strained to hit the brakes.

I hopped out, turning off the truck and watching as Neo did the same, lightly landing on the ground and facing me.

I hit the release trigger on my mask, the metal retracting into the neckbrace, revealing my smirk. "That went pretty well, huh?"

"Smoother than usual," Neo signed.

"We don't have any minions to unload this stuff, do we?" I asked, looking around the warehouse.

Neo nodded.

"Really?" I asked again, surprised.

She pointed a finger at me, and I sighed.

Hard work really had it out for me, tonight.

* * *

I was tired, and that wasn't really surprising. Even with Aura, I needed to sleep, and spending almost all day and half the night active was a great way to drain stamina, that was for sure.

I still didn't have a place to stay, and without any lien, I was actually broke.

"Neo, mind if I crash here again?" I asked, as I turned off the forklift, having unloaded the last crate.

Neo waved her hand dismissively, and I took that as a yes, walking over to the couch I'd used as a bed the previous night.

It was still a mess from how I'd slept last night, blanket scattered messily all over the cushions, but that was how I liked it, worn and ready. There was something sociopathic about people who made their bed, only to get in it and mess it all up again.

Granted, it wasn't a bed, but the thought still counted.

I barely managed to take my boots off before the warehouse door bust open.

I spun, gun out of its holster and aimed at the intruder, but I quickly holstered it.

"Damn little Huntress!" Roman swore, throwing his bowler hat onto a nearby crate.

"Oh, hey boss. Sounds like it didn't go well?" I ventured.

"What gave you that idea?" Roman snarked. "Stupid teenage brat beat Junior's men up before they could actually do anything, and then a proper Huntress showed up! Nearly took us out!"

Neo frowned as I winced. "That's gotta suck. Wait, we?"

"That help I mentioned. _My_ boss, for the time being," Roman explained. "She picked me up in a bullhead when the job went tits-up."

"At least you made it out?" I said, half-questioning whether that was a bright side that Roman would consider.

"Fair enough. How'd you and Neo fare?" Roman asked, before actually paying attention to his surroundings and dropping his jaw.

"Thirty dust crates, all SDC top quality, and the details on that transport that you wanted, along with two trucks and a forklift that I really, really loathe. No alarms, either, so they have no idea who did it aside from my masked description," I explained.

"Well, you were a damn good hire. Lucky me, I guess. As an added bonus, Neo didn't kill you, so you've got that going for you too," Roman said, pulling out a cigar. "I'll get you your pay tomorrow, considering your circumstances, so don't worry."

I nodded, and watched as Roman made his way up to the office that overlooked the warehouse interior, where I assumed the man was going to get a comfortable night's sleep.

I figured it was probably a good idea to do the same, and resumed the process of stripping my gear, down to the underclothes. I felt as if I was being watched, but Roman wasn't at his window and Neo was already asleep, as far as I could tell. She could be faking it, but I doubted it. Then again…

What was it that Roman had said? At least Neo didn't kill you? Why would…

Oh. Oh! Oh no.

That had better not be what he meant by Neo's form of 'pulling pigtails', or so went the metaphor.

I was going to sleep light tonight. Maybe I'd keep my pistol on me.

I couldn't wait until I got my own place.

* * *

Turns out, getting my own place was going to be a bit less complicated than I'd imagined.

"Here you go kid, your cut," Roman said, dumping a lump of Lien into my hands. I quickly set about counting it up, eyebrows raising as the digits did the same.

"Roman, this is seventy-five thousand Lien," I remarked, staring at the sum of money in my hands.

"What, not enough for you? Sheesh, talk about you kids and greed."

"Roman, this is enough to rent a nice apartment for half a year, or more," I replied, still in shock.

"Yeah, it's your cut. What, were you expecting minimum wage? You did good, better than I was expecting to be honest, and what you and Neo got saved me weeks of jobs, and made my boss far happier than they'd expected to be this morning, so you saved my ass too. Your cut represents that," Roman answered, lighting a cigar and taking a puff.

"And they always said crime didn't pay," I remarked, pocketing the exorbitant amount of money. "Do you need me for anything today, or can I go see about getting myself a place?"

"Sure kid, just keep your scroll on you. I don't tend to do anything during the day, though, too many eyes around," Roman replied, gesturing towards the warehouse door. "Oh, and if you have half a brain, don't go cashing it all in at once, that kind of thing gets the attention of the police pretty damn fast."

I began making my way towards the door, waving over my shoulder. "Sure thing, boss. Call me if you need me!"

I left the warehouse building, and left the docks district entirely, wandering through Vale.

' _Where do I rent an apartment…'_ I thought, heading towards the downtown district. I knew that Junior's was a refurbished apartment building, and that there were quite a few empty or almost empty apartment blocks around there, but that wasn't the safest place, and while I could handle myself, as I'd proven time and time again, I wasn't sure my stuff could say the same.

Unless of course…

I'd just pointed out that Junior's was a refurbished apartment building, so what about renting a room from the hulking bartender? That wasn't a bad idea, in all honesty.

With that, I began making my way, once again, to Junior's. At this rate, I was either going to become an alcoholic or deaf, the easy access to various drinks and ear-bursting EDM being certainly interesting neighbours.

Not as interesting as Almond, The Brothers rest his soul, but enough to keep me occupied in my down time.

I stepped across the threshold into the unsurprisingly empty nightclub. Two in the afternoon was not prime time for a nightclub, the clue was in the name.

"Junior, you up?" I called out, as the one awake black-suited bouncer waved me pass.

"Yeah, barely. What do you want?" Junior replied, stepping out of the back room.

"You got any rooms I could rent? My last place burned down, and I figured you'd be less inclined to let that happen," I said, looking around.

"Probably, but they won't be in the greatest shape. Let's see… five grand up front, and two grand a fortnight," Junior answered.

"Sure. That saves me a hell of a lot of time, and getting to Neo's favourite hangout is going to be significantly easier. Of course, that also means that Neo is going to know where I live, but everything has its pros and cons."

Junior laughed at that, before gesturing to me to head up the stairs in the back. "Fourth floor, third door on the left. It isn't big, and is probably pretty dusty and mostly empty, but its liveable."

I nodded, walking towards the door. "Cheers, Junior."

"Yeah, yeah."

* * *

Liveable was a pretty good description of the aftermath of a vacuum cleaner being put on reverse that was my new apartment. It was coated in a layer of dust thick enough to warrant as its own elemental Dust, and I was considering scooping it up and licensing it to the SDC.

It had three rooms, and I was standing in the biggest of the three. Half kitchen half dining, it wasn't the most sizeable of rooms, but it was enough to have a shoddy couch, a slightly wobbly table and two chairs, and an appliance-less kitchen, complete with bench and sink. Along the far wall ran a rack of shelves, old and mostly falling apart. That was something I would have to replace.

I opened the other two doors, and marveled that it was almost as dusty as the first room. The second room was small, and entirely tiled, the small shower, sink and toilet leading me to the hypothesis that this was, in fact, the bathroom. The other room wasn't as big as the first one, but was bigger than the second, therefore making it the second biggest room, and it had the honour of being designated the bedroom, the shoddy, dust-covered bed sitting in the corner, moth-bitten and almost collapsed.

It was going to take me hours to get the place cleaned up, and then there was all the stuff I had to buy.

It seemed hard work had it cut out for me, once again. A common theme, at this point. Nothing was ever easy.

* * *

 **Been a long while since a new DCTA chapter, apologies for that. Honestly, half of this had been written out already, and I just assumed I'd finished Chapter 7, only to find out that, no, that wasn't the case. Either way, hope you enjoyed the update.**

 **Thanks to all of you for sticking around, 'cause I've got some totally-not-edgy character development coming up soon, and the totally-not-edgy semblance to reveal. (I wish I'd considered how edgy it came across, cause it's completely fucking edgy like holy shit I could shave myself using it. At least the personality counters it, kind of. Oh well.)**

 **And, as always, see you next chapter  
~AFatFlyingWhale**


	8. Gambling Addiction

**Well, we have the end of the prologue arc, and we move forward into the first arc. Things are going to start getting a little more... evil?**

* * *

The phrase 'back-breaking work' didn't quite cut it.

The main room was vacuumed, thanks to a speedy purchase of a vacuum cleaner at a nearby hardware store, and so was both the bathroom and the bedroom.

The ruined shelves in the kitchen had been torn out and tossed out the window, my aim impeccable as I nailed the throw, the wooden shrapnel landing in the skip bin out the back.

I'd tried to do the same with the ruined bed frame, but it was far too wide, so I'd carried it out the door and slowly down the stairs, out the back of the club and dumped it next to the bin.

I'd set a mental to-do list, mostly comprising of buy new furniture and dust the rest of the place down, along with check everything in more detail to see if I needed anything else, like the new light bulbs I needed to buy.

It was a lot of stuff, and I was almost glad to get a message on my scroll as a distraction.

' _Wraith, meet at the warehouse. My boss wants me to 'debrief you', whatever that means.'_

I grabbed my jacket off the rusty metal coat rack, making note to get a new one, and grabbed my pistol and glove off the shoddy table.

Stepping out the door, I could hear the thudding EDM as I stepped closer and closer to the stairs. The volume swelled to its loudest as I stepped into the main part of the club, Vale's nightlife in full swing, the club packed with patrons drunkenly swaying back and forth almost in time to the pounding beat.

I walked past the bar with a wave to Junior, the man and one of his guys swarmed by paying customers.

It was almost guaranteed that not all of them would be willing to pay, but Junior had a reputation for a reason.

Stepping outside, I took in a deep breath, my nose filling with the scent of smoke and cheap alcohol, the typical smell of the exterior of a nightclub in the seedy downtown.

Walking was out of the question, partly because I was still damn tired from cleaning, and partly because I had cash to splash now.

My hand shot out as a taxi cruised by, its seedy driver probably seeking a girl with significantly lessened inhibitions. It wouldn't surprise me.

"Docks, warehouse district," I said, as I clambered in.

An ill-tempered grunt was the only response I received, but I shrugged it off, settling into the grimy seat and staring out the window, absentmindedly stretching the hem of my glove around my hand.

It was a pretty short drive, which was nice, as there wasn't that much traffic, and I paid the fare, stepping out of the cab and watching as it quickly squealed away, tires leaving marks on the old asphalt.

I walked towards the warehouse, keeping my eyes open for anything out of the ordinary. I spotted something almost immediately, a fancy black four-door sedan sitting out the front.

My hand reached into the folds of my jacket, comfortably resting on my handgun.

My other hand flexed, the metal plating on the glove extending, creating a full plating over my fist.

My mask expanded over my face, the button being depressed by my now fully plated hand.

I opened the door.

Roman leaned against a shelf covered in dust crates, and Neo was lounging on the couch I'd used as a bed. Four more figures I didn't recognize were standing opposite Roman and Neo.

"Ah, there you are Wraith, nice timing. Close the door," Roman said, and I complied, shutting the door and letting the metal plating on the glove retract.

"Debriefing, boss? Didn't realise I was in the military," I said, stepping closer to Roman, keeping a wary eye on the new figures. They outnumbered us, and whilst Neo looked as relaxed as ever, Roman looked a little nervous.

"Yeah, well, _I_ won't be the one debriefing you," Roman said, and I quirked an eyebrow, before realising that no one would notice that.

"Your name is Wraith, correct?" The woman at the front of the four figures said, her sultry voice carrying across the warehouse with ease.

"It is, but you can call me whatever you want, sweetheart," I said, smirking under the mask as Roman paled.

The ghost of a smirk appeared on the woman's face. "Hmm. Certainly more confident than you, Roman. Where did you pick this one up, off the streets like your other… accomplice?"

"A nightclub, actually. Helped me out with a spot of bother, and I returned the favour. Proved to be useful, kept him on," Roman replied, skin returning to its normal colour.

"He doesn't look like much." This came from the second figure, grey hair and smug look enough to give me a reason to dislike him.

"Enough, Mercury." The woman held up a hand, her reprimand silencing the boy.

"So, I don't have your name," I said, looking at the woman.

"My name is Cinder Fall, Wraith. I've trusted you with my name, so I would like you to remove the mask." Her eyes glowed with unnatural power, and my defensive instincts kicked up all sorts of warnings.

I did as she asked, however, after a nod from Roman, depressing the button and revealing my face as the metal plating retracted back down into its neck-brace form.

"Hmph," The tall man on the right grunted, his half-mask covering his eyes.

"Not everyone can be a faunus, Adam. Now, Wraith, I thought it best to convey my gratitude for your splendid work at the SDC Vale Branch in person. I must ask, how did you pull it off so well?"

My hand left my pistol, and I answered. "Worked there for a day, got fired for an unrelated issue. My apartment burned down, so there's no tracking me down, and I go by Wraith now, with nothing connecting me to my previous name."

"Interesting. All without a semblance, and nothing on any security cameras, one surviving guard who couldn't identify any of the perpetrators aside from that it was one male, and no traces of anything aside from the vehicles used to transport the dust, which were found burning in the back of a junkyard some thirty kilometers away, in the other direction, without a trace of them on street cameras. You don't seem like a normal thug, and I find myself wondering what you were doing working there, Wraith."

I shrugged. "Was trying to avoid this life. Didn't work out, gave up."

Another ghostly smirk appeared on her face.

"Well done then. Now onto other business. I believe you have the details for the Dust transport coming soon?" Cinder asked Roman, looking at the man as he lit a cigar.

The man, or faunus, Adam, looked as well, crinkling his face in disgust.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it. Take it, don't, I don't really care what you do with it," Roman said, handing over a small device, which Cinder attached to her scroll, downloading the information.

"Well done, Roman. Continue with your job, I want all of the Dust in Vale taken. As for your accomplices, well…" Cinder began, two glances at Neo and I. "I want you two to focus on that disgusting mess of a man Bolo. I want him out of Vale, and every other gang either under Roman's control or destroyed. Am I clear?"

Neo gave a lazy nod, and I responded verbally. "Understood. Anything specific, or just some wanton destruction?"

That ghost of a smirk again, I was starting to figure out what made this woman tick. "It's at your discretion."

I smiled, Neo's predatory grin infectious. "Sounds fun. We'll be getting paid, I assume."

Cinder motioned for the final, unidentified figure to step forward. "Emerald, if you would."

Green hair and dark skin wasn't uncommon, but the red eyes gave the girl a striking appearance. She held a metal case in front of her, opening it and showing it to Neo and I, Roman leaning over to take a peek.

It was full to the brim with new Lien notes, stacked evenly.

I whistled. "That's a lot of Lien."

"It is. For a job well done, you will receive it upon completion," Cinder replied, as the case shut and Emerald stepped back behind her boss.

I started to walk back towards the door, throwing a comment over my shoulder as I did so. "Well, I'll have to start tomorrow, 'cause I'm exhausted. Neo, meet at the Club?"

I didn't even turn to see her response, exiting the warehouse and making my way back to my new apartment.

* * *

The morning came quickly, and thanks to my Aura I was wide awake and fully rested, even as I stepped down into the empty club, the only difference between my outfit now and last night being my rifle slung over my shoulder.

"Morning Junior, productive night?" I asked in way of greeting, the bartender restocking the shelves.

"No more than usual, which is better than most nights. A couple fights, some of Bolo's boys trying to cash in on my territory, nothing out of the ordinary," Junior replied.

My attention perked at the mention of my new target. "Bolo, huh? I've got a little bit of a bone to pick with him, know where I can find him?"

Junior turned around, dishrag rubbing the inside of a glass. "Not the man himself, but I know where one of his lieutenants has a little gang hideout. They run an underground casino there, a filthy place full of debt. If you're going to pay them a little visit, I'd suggest going in armed. They stop anyone they don't like at the door, and everyone but the gang members get their weapons taken."

"Good advice, cheers. Now I wait for my partner in crime to show up and-"

I didn't get to finish my sentence as a rather frustrated Neo walked through the doors, one of Junior's men trailing in behind her clutching their arm.

"Speak of the Grimm," I said, swiveling in the bar stool I'd claimed. "What'd you do to the poor gangster?"

Neo rolled her eyes, a quick series of gestures confirming what I'd suspected.

"Neo, you can't break the man's arm because he wouldn't let you inside a closed building," I chided.

Neo pouted, before motioning to Junior to get her a drink.

"I'm not open."

The pout turned into a glare.

Junior paused, considering the implications of continued resistance, and decided that it was futile. A bottle of fine brandy exited the shelves, and a cup was poured before being quickly slid over to the short ice-cream themed woman.

"So, where's this underground casino?" I asked, Neo's eyebrows perking up, eyes flicking towards me as she took a sip.

"Not too far, it's underneath an old laundromat off of Vermillion Way, a couple kilometers away," Junior answered, and I nodded, sliding off the barstool and making sure my mask was attached around my neck the correct way.

Neo quickly downed the rest of her drink and hopped off her stool, motioning for me to lead the way.

"Catch you round Junior," I said in lieu of a goodbye, stepping out into the mid-morning sunlight, squinting as the sun shone into my eyes.

"I guess we're walking, huh?" I said to Neo, who shook her head and dragged me into the nearest alley.

"You know, if you keep dragging me into alleys people are going to get the wrong idea," I said, as Neo rolled her eyes.

I felt the swell of aura and I quickly hit the button on my mask, but Neo grabbed my hand and we shattered into a million tiny pieces.

It's difficult to explain how it feels. Think of a feeling like being pricked by a billion miniscule needles in each nerve, but with no pain. Like pins and needles, almost.

I blinked, and we were in a completely different alley.

"Huh."

I looked out the alley, noticing the street sign. It read Vermillion Way, so at least I knew we were in the right place.

"How'd you do that? I thought your semblance was illusions?" I asked.

Neo waved her hand back and forth in a so-so motion, and I shrugged.

"Alright then. I'll lead, you look intimidating. Cool?"

Neo nodded, spinning the curved handle of her parasol around her hand.

I stepped onto the pavement and across the street, into the laundromat that sat squat on the other side from the alley.

Pushing open the door, I noticed a few things. Namely that the place was full of broken washing machines, and covered in a fine sheen of dust. The few people that were inside were walking into the back room, and I followed, mask up and hand on my pistol.

The back room had a set of stairs built in, behind a bookcase, which was far to cliche for my tastes.

A hand came up from one of the two figures in the room, resting against my chest.

"Weapons and mask, and you can go in," The man said, his hand resting on a rather large pistol sitting on his hip.

"You can't make an exception?" I asked.

I didn't get a response as Neo walked in behind me, and the other figure drew his pistol, aiming it at her.

I looked back at Neo as the first man drew his weapon, aiming at her. "Neo, why didn't you tell me you knew these guys."

"My reputation precedes me," Neo signed in response.

I grabbed the first man's pistol and pushed it to the side as he pulled the trigger, the gun bucking as the bullet thudded into the concrete, and I quickly wrenched him forwards, my pistol leaving its holster and burying barrel-first into his stomach.

Two quick pulls of the trigger had the man on the floor, and I turned just in time to see Neo unfurl her parasol, the bullets the other man fired ricocheting harmlessly off the reinforced fabric and penetrating various walls in the room.

A split-second passed as the point of her estoc sprung from the tip of the parasol, and a quick step forwards had the man punctured, bleeding out as he stumbled to the floor, the shock causing him to lose grip on his weapon.

I put a bullet into the head of each man, two quick taps to end it quickly, and walked down the stairs, holstering my pistol. I heard Neo step down after me, her heels clicking on the concrete steps.

A man, wearing the same colours as both the two men upstairs and Bolo's men from the Club, stepped closer to the steps, weapon drawn.

"I heard shots, what's happening?" He asked, as I drew one of the throwing knives I'd been given, a swift flick of my wrist giving the man something significantly more pointed to think about in the forefront of his mind.

I continued walking, drawing my rifle as I paced forwards, shouldering it.

"Where's your boss!" I shouted, before firing a burst of rounds over the heads of the patrons.

This had all the gangsters in the casino on high alert as the patrons dropped to the ground, covering their heads, aside from a few.

"Who the fuck are you!?" One man shouted, his dress indicating he was with Bolo.

"You the lieutenant?" I asked, swiveling my rifle to him.

"No?" He said, pistol drawn and pointed at me.

A burst from my rifle hit him and he dropped fast, but I didn't pay any attention to him as I kicked over the nearest table, using it as cover from the barrage of gunfire that soon came my way.

Aura or no, there wasn't anyone alive that could take that many rounds and stay standing. Even my armor wasn't enough to tank all that.

I reached over the table with my rifle, firing sporadic bursts at where I remembered seeing hostiles, and I was rewarded by the gunfire becoming more spread out, and a few groans and grunts of pain.

As always, my favourite part of a gunfight was when everyone ran out of ammo. I stood up from behind my cover and quickly vaulted, my free hand gesturing to Neo to flank the other angle.

The fight was going to be far more close quarters from now on, and as I knocked a stack of Lien off a table into a crowd of hiding gamblers, who began a quiet, crawling brawl over it, I slung my rifle back over my shoulder and drew my pistol, glove plating forming its full cover, and I used that to my advantage to punch the nearest gangster in the face, the feeling of cartilage breaking under Aura-enhanced strength as the man's nose broke, the gangster stumbling backwards, blood pouring out from his face.

I could hear Neo mowing her way through the group to the left of the entrance, and so I had to clean up the right, and as my pistol bucked, bullets streaming towards the nearest gangster, I felt a blow to my back dent my Aura.

I quickly ducked low and spun, a sweeping kick knocking the man with the club over, and I quickly put a round into his head as he fell, already rotating and aiming at the rapidly approaching woman with a large knife.

She hit the floor fast, the wound in both the back and front of her throat leaking red fluid, and I stepped over her, already moving onto the last target.

My pistol aimed but clicked empty, and the gangster took that as a chance to push forward, short sword angling towards my head, but I raised my plated hand and caught it, my pistol already in the process of shifting into its knife form, the blade plunging into the man's hand as he blocked the strike, but I quickly twisted his own sword out of his hand and buried it into his stomach, before withdrawing my knife and quickly slashing his throat, dropping him onto the ground.

I looked around, quickly checking for other hostile targets. The only people that were still remaining were the patrons, all scrabbling around on the concrete trying to scoop up whatever Lien was left.

Neo stepped over the corpse of a gangster, reaching down to wipe her estoc on the fabric he wore.

I did similar, cleaning my knife before reforming it into its pistol form, quickly exchanging magazines and holstering it.

"That was quick. I'm surprised they didn't put up that much of a fight. The lieutenant will be in the main office, won't they?"

Neo nodded, sheathing her estoc back in her parasol.

We both took a step forwards, and that was as far as either of us made it to the office as the door slammed open, a hefty woman holding a massive shotgun stepping through and aiming at us.

I quickly stepped forwards and spun, Neo behind me as I took the brunt of the first blast of Dust-reinforced buckshot, my Aura flaring up as it impacted.

Neo was already on the move, darting underneath my outstretched arm before the lieutenant could chamber a second shell, the handle of her parasol hooking around the barrel and pulling it to point at the ground, the assassin using her flexibility to flip up, using the shotgun as a pivoting point to kick the woman in the head.

Aura flared from the impact, and I charged forwards, pistol firing as I emptied the magazine into the stumbling woman, before I finished my attack with a powerful shoulder charge, knocking the woman all the way into the office, the lieutenant collapsing into an office chair that looked hastily abandoned.

Her aura was still holding, and I quickly fired the last round of my magazine into her head as she sat there dazed, and her Aura quickly shattered under the impact, a droplet of blood trickling from her nose.

I shook myself off as Neo walked inside behind me, and I reloaded my pistol, once again holstering it.

"We need to have a little chat."

* * *

 **Ooh, bad guys being bad guys. Always fun to write, and certainly easier than writing fluff, for me at least. I can't write romance for crap, but you want me to describe a guy getting shot, that I can do.**

 **This is the first chapter in a new arc, and not only a new arc but the first non-prologue arc, so it may be a little hit or miss with delivery. Other than that, I appreciate the reviews I've been getting, especially the one from The Wizardrous Magicman, whose semblance speculation has given me some excellent ideas that I will probably not be using because if I start another new project the fans of Guardian Of A New Light might actually be annoyed.**

 **And, as always, see you next chapter  
~AFatFlyingWhale**


	9. Scrambling in the Dirt

**Just as a note, this story is still on hiatus, that hasn't changed, but after I received a PM asking about an update I figured I hadn't stated that it was on hiatus in the actual fic, so consider this chapter a little update so that I wasn't pinging the following list without content. Plus, it's a good way to get rid of some lingering writer's block that I've been suffering with this week.**

* * *

"So, want to answer my questions?"

She spat a glob of bloody saliva into my face, where it struck my mask.

"Well, you got me. Guess I'll give up then, hand you over to the little sadistic bundle of death over here," I remarked, gesturing over my shoulder to Neo, who leant against her parasol, a vicious smile on her face.

The woman paled, but did nothing to try and prevent me from handing her over. Loyalty was something Bolo prided himself on, apparently.

"Well Neo, have fun, but remember we need information, so cripple everything non-critical to that," I said with a laugh, the sadistic expression on her face almost doubling.

I stepped out of the room, and closed the door behind me, looking over the destruction we'd left in our wake.

Corpses littered the casino amongst the scattered Lien that lay about the ground, surrounding the intermittently dropped weapons on the floor, near overturned tables.

I felt a crunch underfoot as I stepped forwards, and as I lifted my foot I saw cracked shards of poker chips, some crumpled into the floor and some still attached to the sole of my boots.

A scream burst its way out of the office, but I paid it no mind, drawing my scroll out of my pocket and browsing through a couple articles, uncaring about the ongoing agony the lieutenant.

Even if it had only been moments, I heard a knock on the door behind me, the impromptu signal serving to notify me that I was required.

I pocketed my scroll, opened the door, and stepped inside once more.

The lieutenant was covered in tiny little stab wounds, and a smiling, mildly blood-splattered Neo stood with possibly the most innocent pose possible.

"Willing to talk?" I asked, leaning in.

The lieutenant nodded, wincing even as she did so.

"So, where's the boss?"

The question left my mouth, and the pale face of the Lieutenant became even paler, despite both Neo and I expecting that to be an impossibility.

"Still refusing to answer?"

The lieutenant finally spoke up. "You bastard! If I tell you, he'll kill me!" She shouted, voice hoarse.

Neo places her blade against the lieutenant, pressing down slightly as crimson leaked slowly from the newly inflicted wound to join the puddle on the ground.

"If you don't tell us, we'll do worse than kill you," I said, and I could see the glare falter before me.

Silence fell upon the office for a moment, but it was broken by the speech of the lieutenant.

She began to detail where Bolo spent his time, and I half-listened, paying attention to the more interesting parts.

Said interesting parts came in the form of a little piece of knowledge.

My pistol ejected a spent shell once she done, and the lieutenant hit the floor, a newly made hole in her head.

"We done?" I asked, and Neo nodded, before grabbing me by the wrist. "Wait, wait!"

Reality folded itself around me, and I felt my stomach twirl as we shattered, before reappearing in the alley near their, or rather, our hideout.

"Dust, I hate that feeling," I muttered, shaking my head in a poor attempt to dissuade the swirling feeling that permeated my brain.

Neo was already leaving, heeled boots stepping one after the other as she made her way into the warehouse. I followed her in, mask slipping free of my face and retracting into its sheath, neck-brace, whatever it was.

It was, as always, difficult to remember what it's actual name was.

"That was fun," Neo signed as she placed herself comfortably into one of the few couches, feet coming to rest folded underneath her.

I gave a laugh at that. "You're covered in blood from torturing someone, and you had fun?"

"That's what makes it fun," she signed once more.

I smirked. "Well, you know what they say about crazy."

As the pint-sized girl flipped me off I pulled out my scroll, dialing a number.

It was answered after three rings.

"Hey, boss. Good news, we know where Bolo is."

Roman laughed, and I could hear that smile on his face appear. "Well done, kid. I knew I could count on you. When are you going to kill that ass?"

I leaned against the back of the couch. "Tonight, 'round seven. He's holding a meeting, to discuss your new, more aggressive strategy."

Roman's laugh was somehow even more mirthful. "Oh, boy that's good. Definitely one way to get a message across!"

I couldn't help but smile alongside the man. "Thought you'd find that funny."

"Well, you and Neo can handle it, can't you?" Torchwick swapped hands, and I heard the telltale puff of smoke exhalation.

I looked over my shoulder, and Neo gave a quick thumbs up, eyes still looking at the screen to the side, playing various news articles.

"Yeah, seems like it. Shouldn't be too difficult," I remarked.

In hindsight, I shouldn't have cursed us like that.

* * *

"With gang violence on the rise, what are the police actually doing, and are the citizens of Vale really safe? We cross to our specialist in the field, and hope they have the answer we're looking for."

"Hey look, we're on TV," Neo signed from her position on the couch, which she'd been shifting around in for the past hour, flicking through channel after channel in an inane attempt to alleviate whatever level of boredom she'd achieved.

I looked up, staring at the screen as the news bulletin reported on the increased crime rate. "I hate to think what they're going to say about us after tonight."

That devious smile graced her small face, and it wouldn't be a stretch to suggest that the tiny girl was relishing the chance to invoke more pain and fear.

Eh, to each their own, and all that.

"Well, I'm gonna keep doing my maintenance. Let me know if you want anything," I said, looking back down at the table I'd relocated in front of me, rifle parts scattered across the wooden top, a small set of tools just to the side, well within reach.

I'd completely stripped the rifle, cleaned each individual part, and spent a good amount of time marvelling the ingenuity of some of the modifications that had been made.

I'd guessed that Hallow knew his craft well, but now that I was looking at some of these little tamperings I could tell that the man took an incredible amount of pride in his work. Something I could agree with.

I set about reassembling the weapon, slowly and carefully, but there was always something relaxing about weapon maintenance.

It was different to field-stripping a weapon, too, that was always significantly more rushed, and usually more dangerous.

At least it was rare for Atlesian tech to jam, and even when it did the design was rugged enough to take a quick rack-slam-tap to fix the problem.

It took nearly another hour before I had the weapon reassembled, and my mind wandered as I did so, drifting back and forth over my past, and speculating about my future.

I drew my pistol from its holster on my belt, and set about dismantling it, cleaning each piece in much the same way I did with my rifle. The pistol was, of course, much smaller, so it didn't take nearly as long, but it was still relaxing.

There was something to be said about being relaxed like this, too. I didn't really deserve it, honestly, and yet here I was, two psychopaths working for a sociopath working for a psychopath.

It was like the world's second most fucked-up family tree.

It all came down to her, too. Neo.

Still sat on the couch, legs dangling over the armrest, she continued to flick through channel after channel, and I found myself wondering about the girl.

I knew next to nothing about her, but already we'd proven to be a rather effective team, much to Roman's thankfulness. The boss's boss, Cinder, seemed to scare the man, and it was easy to see why.

A human bending the White Fang to her whims was of an unspeakable level of threatening I doubt even I could achieve.

But Neo, she didn't seem as fazed as her boss did. Her semblance was multifaceted, that was true, but was she arrogant enough to think that that made her invincible?

I knew that feeling, and knew the end to that tale.

I'd learned that lesson, discovered the moral of the story.

It never ended well, for anyone involved.

I snapped my attention back to my work as I slid the top half of the pistol back into place, and re-holstered the weapon.

I had two options left to me. I could either keep performing somewhat unneeded maintenance on my arsenal, or I could stand up and do anything else.

I chose the latter, chair scraping against the concrete floor as I stood, and the noise attracted the attention of the pint-sized ice-cream-themed girl.

"I'm going out, I'll meet up with you here when I'm ready," I said, my pace somehow even despite the swirling thoughts that warped my very consciousness.

The door to the warehouse shut behind me with far too much noise, and even my footsteps sounded deafening as I walked faster and faster, headed for Vale's outskirts.

Every horn, every word spoken in passing, even the sound of the waves crashing against the docks were loud, too loud, and I felt sick.

I found myself staggering as I reached the quietest area in Vale, the outskirts near the wall that separated the outside with Vale proper.

The only sounds were the wind, and the occasional chirping of birds as they flew by, and I felt my head slowly return to a state of somewhat normality.

I leaned against the wall, sliding down until I was sat on the dirt, head in my hands.

"This can't keep happening, Caramel. You have to stop," I muttered, eyes shut tightly.

There was no response, but that was expected.

Nothing happened for almost a minute, until a sharp jab of pain punctured every nerve in my body, causing me to flinch as it passed in less than a second.

"Please, stop," I groaned through grit teeth.

I felt my Aura spark and flail, lunging around my body.

"Caramel, please!" I was begging, now.

My Aura began to settle, black tendrils of soul occasionally darting out and latching into the dirt, tearing chunks, but it was slowly becoming less common.

The air eventually grew silent, and I crawled up from where I'd been sitting, slowly brushing the dirt off myself, even as my arms moved with that stiff kind of agony.

I let out a cough, and spat out a liquidy chunk of red onto the ground, where the dirt quickly soaked it up. I'd bitten my tongue in the sharp pains that had wracked my body, and even though my Aura healed it my mouth had still filled with blood.

One arm came out to press against the wall, applying additional support for my somewhat unbalanced body, and I took a deep breath, settling my mind.

"Focus, Wraith, concentrate. You have a job to do, get it done," I spoke to myself, trying to motivate my own body to begin the long walk back to the warehouse, but my body wasn't responding to the poor motivational speech.

It took its time, but I finally managed to move my leg, and my other leg soon after, and even though it was still a rough approximation of human movement I was moving, and that was all I really needed.

My head lifted, and I set my destination for the warehouse.

* * *

 **Yeah, as I said in the top note, DCTA is officially on Hiatus, as is GONL, and Metal Rose. Systema is currently my only active fic, but that doesn't mean I've abandoned these. Just putting them off to the side until I have more free time, and a will to write more than just one chapter a week for one thing. It's hard, writing when you don't have a clear idea of what it is your working towards, but I'm still trying.**

 **And, as always, see you next chapter, even if that chapter is ages away.  
~AFatFlyingWhale**


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